No Potatoes But Tall Tomatoes

It appeared we may have one potato plant coming up, but a quick search online indicated it was only a weed.  We didn't want to buy a huge bag of seed potatoes for this small experiment so we just let some from the grocery store grow 'eyes.'  These don't seem to be growing, but when I've had to put old potatoes in the compost bin they've grown in there before.  Oh well, we tried and may try something different next year.

The tomato plants, meanwhile, have outgrown their covered cages but have not been vandalized by any critters.  The main problem is when the fruit is growing, so we needed a new plan to keep them protected.

The old wooden ladder, some stakes and bird netting is what we came up with.  Hopefully it will be effective.  Note the two sunflowers on the right.

Vacation & Aeration Narration

My vacation continued through Tuesday but I didn't get a whole lot done those last several days, and I didn't feel one bit guilty.  I did get the windows washed and some of the tree trimmed, and I'm sure other small things, but mostly I sat, put my feet up, and relaxed.  It was very nice.

Tuesday morning I had the lawn aerated for the first time since we got the house.  I probably should have done it sooner for the sake of the front lawn.  I discussed with the workers the new terrace and patched areas in front, and so those did not get plugged but did get overseeded and fertilized.  They were unable to get some of the side of the house and the little strip of grass between our front yard and neighbor Dave's, so I will have to do that manually, probably in the fall by this point.  Also, they advised against raking up the plugs and to just let them break down naturally.

Now I have to water the whole lawn lightly for 21 days for the seeds to germinate.  After that, water less frequently but for longer to soak in and get to the roots.  Ideally, I should have an awesome lawn by the end of summer, but realistically it's going to take a lot of work and multiple years, I think.

The back yard is still really nice and mostly lush but for an area or two that needed attention, but the front is sparse and filled with weeds.   The city seeded the terrace and patches in front, and their "grass" seed is at least 50% other-than-grass seed.  I've been trying to knock down the weeds with a spot treatment as it will be some time now until I can treat the whole lawn, when the new grass is more established.

Is that more than you wanted to know about our lawn?  Well, if you're up for more yard updates with big pictures I'll see you after the break.

Vacation Projects, Baking, Street Reconstruction #19 and More

I've been busy this past week, resting and recreating takes a lot of time and effort.  I'm on my first real vacation in a year since being new at a job and other than having Covid when I was on vacation last September.  As usual, a staycation to take care of little projects and other things without the interruptions of work.  So far I've gotten a few things done and we've had nice weather, for the most part.  There's a lot to say so I may jump around a bit, and I'll likely add a break due to the length once I add pictures.

Vacation Start

I started this vacation by going to my Mom's on Saturday.  We got a few little things done for her, but it was more about spending the time, I think.  I was just there a few weeks ago, but an overnight visit allows for more time and relaxation while catching up on what's going on in her life.  I got back to town mid-day Sunday and I don't think I did much the rest of the day.

Lots more after the break!

Sunflowers, Take 3

Two years ago I tried to grow sunflowers from seeds bought online.  Out of 50 seeds planted directly into the ground I got just one good plant.  A ten foot tall mammoth grey stripe sunflower.  Most of the seeds were sniffed out and eaten by one or another neighborhood critter, but I collected the seeds from that one, 10-foot sunflower and planted many again last year.  

Same problem, the seeds got dug up and eaten by some critter even though I caged the areas.  Even the ones that managed to grow got bitten off eventually.  No sunflowers last year.

So this year I decided to start them inside rather than sow directly.  Using 24 toilet paper tubes, a plastic bag, a cardboard box and some dirt, I used the same seeds from that first 10-foot tall sunflower and surprisingly, to me anyway, all 24 seeds sprouted.

I was unsure of how much I should let them grow before I planted them.  I didn't want to hinder their taproot, and I said I should research further but I didn't.  We started planting when they got close to or as tall as the cardboard tube they were planted in.  They've grown at different rates, though, so we planted them a couple times over the last week.  So far it seems to be working out well.

I have them planted in clusters since they need to be caged for protection.  There are two in front, near the base of the shepherd's hook holding the bird feeder.  The thought was that the shepherd's hook could be support, if needed, and the birds could do whatever and maybe feast upon seeds later in the summer.

In the back, there are two clusters of three seedlings planted in that same corner that we got the original sunflower, by the house and porch behind the steps.  Three more on the other side of the steps, shown here with the gnome.  Two clusters of three in the tree stump area along the fence, and two at the back corner of the garage by the gardens, also shown here.  And today I planted two more in a big pot that I placed by the garage.

That's 21 seedlings planted so far, and every one of them is looking really good, still.  

That leaves 3 seedlings.

They're getting there, but definitely a bit behind the others.  Thankfully, though, this gives me a bit of time to figure out what to do with them.  I just don't know where I could really fit 3 more sunflowers, and I already bought a big pot to fit a couple more in around here. (And we'll see how they even grow, in a pot.)

But I had the thought to take them to work.  I can take a cage in and let a group help me plant them in the back yard by the fence, in case support is needed again, and hopefully we can watch them grow big and tall over the summer.  

They can get a lot of joy out of simple things like that, and that's a good lesson for me.

Spring Plant & Yardwork Day

On Sunday, Kate and I finally rolled up our sleeves and got some work done in our small yard and gardens.  She was determined to try tomatoes again so we got some cages to attempt to save them from the squirrels.  And we're just waiting for better eyes to form on the potatoes until we try planting them.  Some plants for pots and various other yardwork rounded out the day.

First, the gardens, clockwise from top left:  Parsley plants on either end with rows of green onion, lettuce and radish seeds in between.  To the right is two cherry tomato plants in some inexpensive cages from Amazin'.  They have tops, a zipper door on one side, and are staked and have a couple pieces of wood on the flaps on either side for more support.  Still, I may be looking to weigh them down better come windy weather.  Below that are the raspberries, now with the fencing removed.  To the left of that are a jalapeno and bell pepper plants with the space between intended for potatoes.  We tossed in a fresh bag of mulch in between and that was it for the gardens that day.

This is going to get long, so I'll put the rest after the break.  See you there!

Homemade Pizza

I got a wild thought last week to make my own mozzarella cheese.  I either looked up or saw a video in my feed that I watched, and it just seemed so simple.  So, yesterday morning, I made cheese for the first time.

And so few ingredients are involved:  Whole milk, vinegar and salt.  I also bought cheesecloth from Amazin', but that's it.  Heat a gallon of milk to 115-120ºF, turn off the burner and add about 3/4 cup vinegar.  Stir lightly for a minute or so, then move off the burner, cover and let sit for 10 minutes.

Then I scooped out the curds into cheesecloth in a sieve, finishing by pouring it all through to get all the curds.  This took 3 or 4 steps due to the size of the containers, and as the whey filled up I poured it back into the milk jug.

Using the cheesecloth, I twisted it tight and squeezed more whey out, as much as I could.  When it stopped streaming I opened the cheesecloth and broke apart the clump of curd, basically turning the inside parts to the outside before twisting the cheesecloth tight again and squeezing out more whey.

After a few minutes of this I put the cheese in a bowl and microwaved it for 20-30 seconds, folding it with a spatula for it to release more whey, stretch and come together.  I repeated this step a few times, adding about a teaspoon of salt along the way, until the cheese was getting smooth and melty.  At this point I put on gloves and kneaded the cheese in my hands like bread dough, forming it into a ball.  Once satisfied, I returned it to the cheese cloth, twisted it tight and put it into a bowl so it would retain a rounded shape and placed it in the refrigerator.  I should probably have used plastic wrap now, but came back and did that a couple hours later.

Later that day, we sliced it for a taste, then had it on a fully homemade pizza.  Homemade pizza dough, homemade pizza sauce, and now homemade mozzarella cheese.

The cheese was good for a first try, but I know I can do better.  I may have squeezed out too much whey and not kneaded or stretched it enough before chilling, and it didn't seem salty enough.  Then, to top it off, the pizza could have used a couple more minutes in the oven.  I will certainly be trying this again soon, but maybe only using a half gallon as that should be enough cheese for a pizza.

This was a first attempt taking information from a couple of ToYoube videos.  I will certainly be looking at more and am open to any suggestions.  Have you ever made cheese?

New Computer, Sunflowers & More

I made the transition to the new desktop computer yesterday.  Much more simple than it used to be, for sure.  All my files are on external hard drives and most of what I use the computer for is saved in Google so there when I signed in.  Some settings to change, a few things to download and install - and I'll find more yet, I'm sure, but I foresee no problems.  I say that now, but I still haven't been able to get the printer connected yet, and its directions stop at Windows 10 and I have 11 Pro, so we'll see.

I planted 24 sunflower seeds on Saturday, using the same mammoth sunflower seeds I got from the first successful sunflower I grew two years ago.  We saved up toilet paper tubes which I lined up in a cardboard box lined with a plastic bag.  I filled everything with dirt from a bag of garden soil, planted and watered.  The bag has no holes in it for drainage, but can be added if needed and the whole thing is in the porch on a tray, just in case of leaks.  Hopefully I will get lots of viable seedlings that will be easily replanted in the degrading cardboard tubes though I'm still not sure where they all would go, and I will still have to have them caged so they don't get randomly bitten off for no apparent reason.  I wish I could go all Mr BW (see Easter post) on the damn critters, rabbits and squirrels, but my wife wouldn't allow that and neither would local law.

Another thought to mention before I forget, every two years recently they do a controlled burn along the creek and sometimes then we get a duck nest under our back steps.  Thankfully that didn't happen this year because it has never turned out well for the eggs, but the banks of the creek are starting to recover.  Two months from now there may be wildflowers taller than me again.

And the stump area is beginning to turn green with the usual plants and some leftover wildflowers.  We have a bag of dirt ready to put over the stump and add another batch of wildflower seeds this year, and pretty soon so hopefully that area will be even prettier this year.  And hard to believe, but all 3 bushes we planted last spring that got eaten almost to the nubs by the bunnies are showing signs of life.  I'll have to keep them protected and make bigger cages for them to have a chance in the long term, though.

Still no leaves on the trees here, well, maybe tiny ones but certainly not near full yet.  I did finally put away the snow blower and made sure the lawn mower would start.  Today is beautiful; warm, windy and windows-open weather.  Then looks like maybe light jacket weather with scattered rain chances throughout until this time next week when hopefully more of this nice weather sticks around.  I have not worn shorts or sandals out and about yet, but if I was to go out this afternoon I would have.  It's time.

Easter This-And-Thats

I haven't really been in a writing mood recently.  I managed to post about the pavilion, but there are a few other topics I've been meaning to mention so time to sit, type and see what happens.

• Today is Easter, but this doesn't mean much to us.  I had a paid holiday for Good Friday and my wife and I may venture out later today, as we tend to do on Sundays, but will have to check ahead to see what's open.  I was going to go down to my Mom's yesterday as my sister and her kids are there this weekend, but things to do and I've been real sick of driving lately so I stayed home.

• My wife was laid off from her job this past week.  She found out about it 2 months ago, so had to endure all that time knowing, but meanwhile her anniversary came and went so she got all her time off back which will be paid out, and a severance package as well.  Another bad decision by a terrible company that keeps losing contracts, but it was her career.  She does not plan to look for a new job until her dad dies, and we're in a good enough position she can do that.

• 
  Also this past week we had to take Basil to the vet twice.  He'd lost weight, had a UTI and we already know he gets crystals real bad.  He'd also stumbled at times, and started withdrawing from us and eating less.  He got an antibiotic shot, a pain shot, and was already on medicine for hyperthyroidism but that dose got doubled.  It's taken several days but he does appear to be acting normal and feeling much better now, thankfully.  And today both the cats turn 13 years old.

• We recently bought two new computers, a laptop for my wife since she had to turn in the one she was using and a desktop tower for me because of the display driver issue this one has, plus it often shuts itself off.  Never while I'm using it, but while it's in sleep mode, and it seems to be happening more.  Both are made by Lenovo, a new brand to us but great reviews so we just went for it.  I'm going to have to take my wife's in for help getting it out of S-mode - Microsoft's new security that goes overboard in trying to save you from yourself.  I just hooked up the desktop and got that going briefly, and thankfully I don't have it on this one.  I did hook the old computer back up because I have some work to do before making the switch.

• 
  I've taken a few weekends off from baking recently, but I did make a cheesy garlic bread yesterday that I saw in a ToYoube video.  It just looked so good, so I made it and it was, but it made a mess of the oven.  I used a frozen bread dough loaf so it was quicker and easier for me, but this is one of those recipes that was fun to try but I may never make it again.

We still may get out this afternoon, but it is raining now and the day seems destined for rest and relaxation indoors.  I hope everyone is having a wonderful Easter weekend.

Thai Pavilion at Olbrich

I had the occasion for work to be at Olbrich Gardens recently.  Our group was among a couple dozen people waiting for the doors to open promptly at 10:00 a.m.  The morning was overcast and windy, but warming so a light jacket was good for walking the garden's paths.  

It's early yet so only the early spring flowers were blooming, and still no leaves on the trees, but soon.  When it came in sight, shining through the trees, I steered our group over the bridge to see it.  Somehow, and taking random paths to find ourselves there, we were the first to cross the bridge over Starkweather Creek and approach the Thai Pavilion so, with no people in the way for the moment, I made time to take some pictures.

The pavilion is an impressive sight in person, very detailed and shiny.  The stone has a glare, but reads:  "This extraordinary Thai Sala, the only one of its kind in North America, was gifted to the University of Wisconsin-Madison and City of Madison by the Thai Chapter of the Wisconsin Alumni Association in 2001."

When I consider it more deeply I see the glaring affluence much more than the practicality, but it's one of only four outside of Thailand so another shiny object for Madison and the university to boast about.  Still, it is pretty spectacular and would look even better in the summer sunlight.  You can learn more about it here.

I was here last year but the pavilion was covered, closed and enclosed for renovations all season.  I thought I posted some pictures from that visit but I can't find that I did.  But you can see the the Bolz Conservatory at Olbrich in this post from 2018.

I'll put a few more pictures after the break, including a picture of the map for the curious.  I'm not sure I ever followed the map there, just wandered through, normally.

First Fire and Bat Shit

I had my first fire pit of the season on Friday night.  I was out there early, well before dark, as I didn't want to be out there very late.

It was a nice evening, cool but not cold, and the winds were light.  I got all the little stick litter burned up that had accumulated in the fire pit since last fall.  

The lilac that I had to remove for the fence installation last spring got cut into smaller pieces to burn, but is a bit wet yet.  

And I forgot about a pile of sticks from neighbor Jane's small trees that were hanging over our driveway by the garage.  I'll have to get those next time.

The moon was a day away from being full, and nice to see the last two solar lights, which I left out all winter, continue to be working well.

I was happily surprised to see bat shit under the bat house on the back of the garage.  And happier to realize that it was indeed guano and not bird shit as they've tried to build a nest on top of the bat house in years past.  I did not see any bats in it that night or the next day when I took these pictures, but I will be checking.  

After several years with just a rare visitor or two, I'm very pleased the bat house is getting used.

Street Reconstruction Part 18, Burn Day & Blogday

Yesterday morning, shortly before I had to leave for work, we had to scramble to get my car out of the garage and her van into the driveway.  We knew there was no parking on much of the street starting this morning, but they had gotten to work earlier than we expected.  It was time to plant the trees on our street and the next street over.

I grabbed a quick picture after our little fire drill, and after the holes were drilled on the terraces for planting the new trees.  The workman walking by the hole where my wife was parked was a coincidence.  I had no time to try for a better picture as I had to then leave for work.

When I got home, several new trees had been planted.  There's been lots of trees cut down since we moved in, now each had finally been replaced.  And in almost the exact same spots, too.  Not surprising, actually, when you think of the underground utilities going to each house.  My wife said they were easily done by noon, which didn't surprise me with such an early start.

The second picture shows the new tree in front of neighbor Jane's, and not many more.  A similar shot on the other side of the street facing the opposite direction would have shown several more, but neighbors might wonder what I'm doing over there taking pictures, and they all look pretty much the same right now anyway.

Another thought about the street:  If it had to be parking on one side only then I'm very glad its the other side.  Especially on garbage day when the bins are all out.  No parking within 4 feet of a driveway or within 2 feet of the next car, per city rules.  We've not had a big issue yet, Kate and I, but I know others have had to adjust, especially when someone else has guests over.  And I know one neighbor has to park at least one and sometimes two cars all the way up at the top of the street on the next block.  Older and adult kids living with parents clog up much of the parking, at least on this end of the street.

Separate from the street reconstruction, we had another *biennial (*corrected) rite of spring happen.  While I was at work today the city did a controlled burn along the creek.  I'll add those pictures after the break, if anyone would like to take a look.  The banks of the creek won't be this clear for another two years.

And, finally, today is my 16th Blogday.  Still chugging along, after all...

Slowly Spring

Slowly but surely spring is springing around here.  While no trees have leaves yet, there are buds, some plants are coming up and the grass is turning green again.  We also have one daffodil plant flowering and another just about to open.  Still seems pretty chilly most days, though about normal, I guess.  Recent days have started below freezing and may get close to 50ºF in the afternoon.  So yes, it is spring here, it just seems to be coming on very slowly.

We put cages around the new bushes we got to go along the fence last year.  Even with a mild winter, the rabbits have eaten them down terribly.  Maybe the outside ones will come back if protected, but I'm not seeing any sign of life from the middle one yet.  The critters just have no fear back there so can and will eat everything they fancy, anything we try.  I even had to cage a small area of lawn I'm trying to reseed but it kept getting dug up when I did.  I'd like some ornamental grasses, too, but those would stand no chance at all.  

I've also not had a fire yet this spring even though there were a few opportunities.  But nights are cold, and I've just begun to do some outside spring chores.  Pretty much just those cages, seeding, and cutting up the lilac wood for burning, from what I had to remove for the new fence last year.  The garage got swept out, and I considered putting the snowblower away for the season, but didn't.  No, not quite yet.

Green olive focaccia bread

Spring Plants And Flatbread Fun

When I got home Friday afternoon I found myself surprised that I saw plants starting to come up.  It's been a relatively mild winter and we've had mostly above average temperatures recently.  But it is still March and I guess I still expect freezing temperatures and at least one more snowstorm.  We do have days forecast with low temps below freezing and high temps above, but I've put away some winter clothes already.

That same day, Friday, I found the first crocus to sprout in our yard, in the bed along the dark side of the house.  After taking this photo I went to the back yard where we get scores every spring and I couldn't yet find one.  It's still March, though.

March Madness.

I've been watching a lot of basketball recently.  My Wisconsin Badgers have been on a run in the B1G tournament and will play in the championship game tomorrow afternoon.  Hopefully a great win and a good seed in the NCAA tournament, to be announce tomorrow evening.  Go Badgers!  

On a side note, Cuba City won the division 4 girls state high school championship this afternoon, coached by my cousin.  Congratulations, Cubans!

Before the games today I did a lot of housework and made some of my flatbread, which has become a staple in this household.  Now, flatbread and pita are two very similar recipes but different cooking methods.  My flatbread is dry fried in a hot pan on the stove, and pita is baked at high temperature on a baking stone.  The last few of my flatbreads today did wonderful pita impressions, though, so I grabbed my camera.

After the break are photos of that last flatbread-posing-as-pita, and that batch.

Spring Porch And Dishwasher Ending

The porch warms quite nicely on sunny days during spring and fall.  The cats love the warmth and access again while we welcome the warmth into the house as the porch will need to close again around sunset.  Temperatures this week will be nice, even up to the º70F range on Friday.  Still, don't trust March.

The porch, mostly neglected over winter, will need a cleanup.

One thing I haven't kept up on here is our new dishwasher; yes, there was a problem.  Within a week we noticed water under the sink.  Upon further inspection, it was leaking about a half cup of water every time we ran it, and from what I could see - and I'm too old and broken to be getting under sinks like that - it was coming from the connection between the hose from the dishwasher and the air gap that rises above the sink.  We got the company's installer back out to look at it and he concluded it was an issue with a defective hose and they would be in touch.  After a week, I called to get an update.  It was handled as a warranty issue so the new hose part was coming from LG, and LG would have someone out to fix it.  A week later, that day came and their guys agreed with my assertation that the connection was the issue, and they fixed it easily.  I was initially impressed with this company, the availability of product and ease of installation.  Still, it got corrected somewhat timely and at no cost to us, so I guess we're happy for now.

I've been ill since I first recognized last Thursday afternoon.  It's not been a good several days this week but I feel I must be on the better side of it by now, though I'm still getting symptoms if I'm late taking the cold meds.  Never the less, I must get back to work.  But I know what I'm scheduled for tomorrow and I couldn't ask for much better for a first day back from this.

Focaccia March Note

Boy, this focaccia bread is super good.  It came out of the oven about noon today and is already gone.

I might make a couple batches of cheese pennies this afternoon, or I may not.  I feel kind of lazy.

Well, February came and went pretty quick.  Since the last post we fell into a deep freeze then came out of it with spring-like temperatures for a few days.  No more snow, but a bit of rain and all the snow on the ground is melted now.  Anything can happen in March, any year, but there's not much in the immediate forecast right now.

And yes, I'm aware of everything political that's happened and is happening now.  If you read regularly then you'll know how I feel, but it's all so obscene I'm just disassociating a bit right now.

My thoughts are slowly turning to spring chores, but I did notice yesterday that there was twine wrapped up in the snowblower.  I'll have to take a sharp blade to it and clear it soon in case the snowblower is needed again.  The twine is from getting too close to the hay mats they used to cover the grass seed out front after the street reconstruction.  My wife already mentioned getting wildflower seeds for the stump area and I'm starting to figure out what kind of sunflower to try this year.  And the more I look at the cable going to the pole across the street the more I want to cut it off the house.  If we ever needed that coaxial cable again it would need to be replaced anyway due to the kinks from being held up so long (for the street reconstruction).  Yes, lots of outside chores coming up, but it's mostly an enjoyable process.

Until then, we'll probably just be riding out the last of this winter season.  What are you looking forward to doing this spring?

Most Snow So Far

Wednesday it snowed all day, and we wound up clearing the snow from that storm twice, my wife with the shovel and me with the snowblower, after I got home from work that day and again early the next morning.  

Thursday was sunny though still below freezing, but we got some good melting on the streets, and especially on the busy, brined-in-advance, major roads while the original 5 or so inches of light, fluffy snow on the ground slightly compacted.  

Friday evening the snow started again, but it was late enough and still coming down hard enough to just wait to go out until morning.

Saturday it continued snowing more than not all day.  We cleared snow early that morning, then again early afternoon, but this time we both shoveled without using the snowblower as it wasn't as deep as earlier.  Still, with my back, that 1-2 inches was almost enough for me to use the snowblower anyway.  Later that afternoon we had to clear the end of the driveway a couple times due to the snow plows coming by.   

Sunday, today:  I salted a bit last night, but I still had to clean up from a good dusting of snow overnight.  This picture was taken after I shoveled this morning, but even though it only got up to around 20ºF the sun came out and again we got good melting on the streets and walks.  What I mean by that is shoveled and plowed areas melted off nicely.  This is important now because though we won't be getting more snow we're going to be very frigid these next few days so all the wet snow will freeze hard in place, wherever it is.

I'm not sure of the exact number, but all in all it would seem to be about 8-10 inches of snow since Wednesday, to me.  Right now we have more snow on the ground now than we've had all season long.  I'm going to have to look again for a website that I can get good, detailed, recent and local weather data.  Any suggestions?

New Dishwasher

A week ago our dishwasher died, the pump stopped working.  This one lasted almost exactly 7 years, and the one prior lasted only 5 years, but we run it almost every day and sometimes twice a day when I'm baking.  I got online and researched dishwashers and determined the one I wanted, and matching the range and refrigerator was a factor.  Not the most expensive one available, but certainly not the cheapest.  The first place I went did not have the one I wanted in stock and said it would be 1-3 weeks, but really he didn't know.  Not exactly a vote of confidence, so I said I'd have to get back to him and left.  Before I even left that parking lot I was on my phone looking for the next place to shop.  I found a place, they had it in stock and it could be delivered and installed on Saturday.  All in all, it cost about the same as the last dishwasher, about a grand.  But this process couldn't have gone smoother and this retailer will be my first stop next time I need a large appliance.

I took yesterday and today off from work, so got some more baking done.  I made another round of the new baguette recipe, a batch of flatbread, and pan pizza dough over the weekend.  And yesterday I tried the recipe again for hamburger/hot dog buns.  The first time I tried the buns came out flat.  This time the hot dog buns turned out better but the hamburger buns were still flat.  I've come to the conclusion that the recipe calls for less dough than needed for the buns I want, so I'll have to adjust next time, if there is a next time.  I'm not crazy about this recipe so I may look for another recipe for buns.

The pan pizza dough is awesome.  It doesn't make much, but plenty for dinner for two people.  My wife likes it, too, and it's easy to make so looks like this is another recipe that will get made more often around here.

Other than that, I won 200 bucks on the Super Bowl.  Came close to winning more, but I can't complain.  Overall, I feel I came out about even for the season with this win.  Much better than last year, but it's all in fun, anyway.  And we got a couple dustings of snow recently, but tomorrow looks like it will snow all day and we're expected to get 3-6 inches, total.  That would be our biggest snowstorm of the season so far.  We need it as it's been mostly dry all winter, but I hope mother nature doesn't try to catch up too much this late in the season.

Recent Baking

King Arthur's 2025 Recipe of the Year

For the second weekend in a row I made King Arthur's 2025 recipe of the year, a big and bubbly Focaccia bread.  I made a Focaccia bread recipe a couple months ago from their Big Book Of Bread, and it was good but ultimately forgettable compared to this one (though I did only make it once).  This recipe is so good the bread was gone on the same day I made it last weekend.  The big bubbles and the moist crumb with all that olive oil baked in - oh so delicious!  Yesterday's bread would have been eaten up, too, but my wife wanted to see what it was like the next day so we somehow saved a bit overnight.  It's still very good today but just a tad drier, maybe better if I was to use it for a sandwich, but I wouldn't feel guilty just eating it plain and it only lasts a day again.  This is certainly one that I will continue to bake.

Pizza sauce and last week's Focaccia.

I also made pizza dough and pizza sauce last weekend, so we have that ready for meals during the week.  We've been wanting to try a pan pizza recently.  I tried with the dough I make now but it's obviously meant for a thinner crust and didn't turn out great.  So then I found KA's 2020 recipe of the year, a crispy cheesy pan pizza crust that sounds promising.  I may make that this afternoon as it can stay in the fridge up to 72 hours so we can have it for dinner Monday or Tuesday.

We still have a couple wheat baguettes in the freezer for now.  We've been using them for baguette pizzas, tuna melts, and garlic bread recently.  Next weekend will be time to make that new baguette recipe again, also from KA's BBoB.  It's been several weeks since I last made it so I look forward to that.

Also yesterday, I made a new (for me) hamburger/hot dog bun recipe.  This is one type of bread I've dragged my feet on a bit, but if I can get a good one down then we won't have to buy from the store anymore.  This recipe felt a little more ambitious for me, especially since it lacked a video or pictures to help the process, but I found it very manageable to make.  Still, adding flour "until the dough begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl" seemed subjective to me.  I was a bit unsure how much they meant.  Also, I flattened them a bit before baking as the recipe called for, but a bit too much it appeared as the buns came out of the oven flatter than I wanted.  Still, a promising recipe that I will try again soon with some modifications and hopefully improve my technique.  

Sometimes making a recipe for the first time doesn't come out perfect, but the experience will hopefully ensure a better result each consecutive time it's made.  I still enjoy the journey.

January This-And-Thats

Well, time to break the seal with the first new post of 2025.  The holidays have come and gone, and we've settled back into daily life here.  I don't have any big news or anything like that, and I haven't done one of these posts in a while, so time to start typing and see what spills out onto the page.

• 
  I've been baking quite a bit again recently, though still only on the weekends.  Most recently I made cinnamon rolls again, though this recipe is a bit of a cheat as I used the frozen bread dough.  Still, they turned out very well and were a nice, sweet treat with whipped cream cheese frosting.  I also made another batch of flatbread yesterday, and for the first time in a while I made the classic baguette recipe that I used to make all the time.  Also yesterday, I tried a new whole wheat baguette recipe that I modified a bit from a ToYoube video.  While it tastes good, I did not get the rise from them that I should have so wound up with skinny baguettes.  I believe the water was too warm, though I waited for it to cool some it evidently was not long enough and likely killed some of the yeast.  I should know better by now, but I'll make a few tweaks and try this recipe again soon.
• 
  We had Kate's van in for new tires last week, so another hefty bill.  Thankfully the brakes are still good for some time so we didn't have those done.  Now, my light just came on in my car so I'll have to get it in for an oil change soon.  Always something...
• Sometime during the last week the last of the pumpkins on the stump were fully consumed.  Though we've had cold, we've not had a whole lot of snow here yet (*knock wood) so they haven't been buried much.  I'm fine with not much snow, but come spring we'll miss the water if we continue like this.  I sometimes feel bad for putting our veg compost in the bin rather than leaving it out for the critters, but we do not need to attract more animals to our yard.
• 
  The latest project update for our street reconstruction just tells us that trees will be planted in spring, and they still plan on going ahead with the bike/pedestrian bridge over the creek, scheduled for summer this year.  I still believe it is a waste of our taxpayer dollars as there is a bridge 2 blocks north and 2 blocks south of the site.  This current city administration has plowed ahead with unpopular projects and I highly doubt will win re-election.  But I still can't fathom how our voters approved the city to raise our property taxes above state-mandated limits - and with no end date!
• Last month we replaced the suet feeder with a double suet feeder for winter, though we seem to get less birds now.  Perhaps they migrated or just have different habits for winter.  But we have been getting more woodpeckers visiting, which is kind of neat.  I'd also consider a hummingbird feeder next spring as I know they're around and nice to watch.
• 
  I bought my wife a birthday present recently, for a week from today.  I couldn't get it through Amazin' because she would see the notifications, so I went through another popular online retailer.  It was pretty expensive and the box is oddly shaped, so I never figured it would be delivered in its original box, but it was.  And my wife retrieved it, when delivered, so she knows what it is now.  But she said she didn't look closely and does not want it early.  She expects it on her birthday, and wrapped, so that's what she'll get.  I was kind of proud of the gift and I hope she truly likes it.  Maybe I'll share what it is after next week.
• Playoff football is upon us.  Ohio State and Notre Dame will battle next week for the college championship, and the NFL playoffs began this week.  My beloved Packers will be playing the Eagles this afternoon and I'll be watching the game closely and cheering on my team.  Go Packers!
• The day after my wife's birthday is inauguration day.  He's already distracting from false promises he made while campaigning ($2 gas, cheaper groceries, no taxes on overtime, etc.), the things that made many people vote for him.  Why they think these rich, white men care about them is beyond me.  Oh, well, what's done is done.  The circus is about to begin.

I started typing this morning and my wife and I went out for a bit this afternoon.  A rare weekend day that she didn't have to go over to her dad's.  She had the kitchen this morning for cooking otherwise I would probably be trying that whole wheat baguette again.  But I baked pretty much all day yesterday (though a lot was rise time), and was pretty tired last night so good to take today off.

Have a great week, everyone.

Winter Solstice 2024

The winter solstice arrived early this morning, hours before I got up.  For several years now I've been having a fire on this day, in cold temperatures and in a bit of snow, but we have both this year.

So, no winter solstice fire pit this year but at least the days will start getting longer.  Very soon here I will be making the drive to Mom's and will be spending the night.  My wife will be staying back and taking care of her dad, as usual.  This week will be especially hard for her with the holidays, as well.  My sister and her family were supposed to arrive there yesterday but they came down sick, and it sounds like my brother and his family will be there for a few hours this evening.   This is our Christmas gathering this year.  Happy solstice, everyone.