update on the baked pancake

8888888888

yes, you can use whole wheat flour in place of unbleached white

whole wheat flour often requires a little most liquid so caterina used a really BIG EGG

this was successful / she folded the pancake when cooked over butter limped vidalia onions and some Mexican fresca cheese and some tomato/garlic jam

yum

half whole wheat flour and half unbleached white flour also works

and now we will give the baked pancake a rest

you cant unring the bell

mmmmmmmmmm

you cant unring the bell

but you dont have to listen to it clang


mmmmmmmmmm

thought for the day

Caterina's infatuation with the baked pancake

:..:..:..:

see the baked pancake is sorta like a crepe and sorta like an omelet

like a crepe because you can fill it with something either sweet or savory

like an omelet because it has a distinct "egginess"

she thinks the baked pancake batter can also be baked in muffin tins or popover tins and come out like another shape to fill or even be Yorkshire Puddings !

Caterina had this for breakfast this morning :

preheat the oven to 425'

use an 8" iron frying pan with an oven proof handle / put a fat TB of butter in the pan

lightly beat an egg and add 1/4 cup flower and 1/4 cup milk to the egg / add a pinch of salt

mix the egg, milk, and flour, but leave it a little lumpy

when the oven reaches 425' heat the butter real quick in the pan until golden or even a little brown if you like it that way

immediately pour the egg mix into the pan / it should sizzle / and place right away in the hot oven for 15 minutes

it will puff up and look delicious

take it out of the pan and onto a plate / put a lot of strawberries on it that have been sliced and limed and sugared a little / fold it over

this is enough for one or two persons

double the recipe and use a 12" pan for 2-4 persons

^^^^^^^^^

sometimes Caterina fills the pancake with steamed spinach and cheese which should be hot

if you like it that way

fava beans

we love fava beans / they are the earliest spring beans and we ate them when we lived in Rome served Roman style :

picked young and steamed in the pods with garlic and herbs and olive oil in the steam water

delivered to your table cosi / the diner opens the pods and pops out the beanie morsels / they are spring green and tender and taste like no other bean

today we will dine on fava beans and homemade focaccia in the style of Caterina Cacciatore :

the pods have been steamed and the beans have had their tough outer skin removed*

Caterina will gently mash them with some fruity olive oil and salt and pepper and then we will pile them on rosemary/garlic focaccia still warm from the oven

possibly with a sprinkle of crisp bacon in lieu of pancetta

or maybe no bacon since MissTickle is in charge of our Heart Healthy diet


*if we grew our own fava beans which we promise to do for next year we would be able to pick them young and tender ! too !

every year Skaterina learns more about how the automatic watering system works

~?~?~?~?~?~?~?~?~

she knows where the sprinkler heads are in the first three zones

she remembers where the ones are that go missing like hiding under piles of dirt and pebbles at the edge of the carport and the one that is swallowed up by thick grasses plus buried in the dirt that came out of the hole for MissMPeach

she knows how to set the programs on the black box next to the electrical box / she knows how to set the time for each zone and when to start the program and how long each should run

this year she learned how to adjust the sprinkler heads herself instead of whining about it to anyone who will not adjust them for her

the key element she found is the just the right screw driver and a toothbrush to clean out the screw groove

turns out the just right screw driver is the one that goes with her sewing machine / the little old Elna named Sunshine

therefore the scrrew driver must be watched like a hawk it does not disappear into the parallel universe in which we spend a great deal of time

####

braised leeks au gratin for dinner

The Doldrums

! ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ !

the doldrums dont last forever

! ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ !

the best part of the day ....

....

the best part of the day for Skaterina is waking up at 5 am
having a cappuccino made of freshly ground espresso beans with hot milk and a dash of cream
checking the news and email on the power book
going for a walk with the dogs / Dought and Dot / on current favorite : the trail through the woods that goes cross town

the best part of the day for MissTickle is laying down on the quilty mat for her abdominal scan as preparation for the Five Tibetans
she scans her abdomen and decides what she would like to eat to today that is nutritious and balanced and highfiber and heart heatlhy

(she describes the desired menu to Caterina

the best part of the day for Caterina is fulfiliing MissTickle's menu plan and adding her own fillips or fill ups

heh (for example she is deeply engaged in a chocolate baking binge)

the best part of the day for MrsFoley is the Sparkling Ginlet time of day

**************get the Bombay gin out of the freezer / put five or six ice cubes in a glass big enough to hold them with plenty of room for a capfull (that's a cap off the Bombay gin bottle, not a CUP full) of gin and then fill the glass with well iced Gerolsteiner sparkling mineral water and add the freshly squeezed juice of one half lemon or lime / a dash of Stevia to lightly sweeten*********

no fat, not sugar

refreshingly curious

Living on the Mesa was like being at Sea

? ? ? ? ? ? ?

living on the mesa was like being at sea :

unlimited vision in all directions

a long way away

but being at sea was on a freighter / there was a captain of the ship / a crew / a few other passengers so life at sea was not like life on the mesa

still, life on the mesa was like being at sea

and life on the mesa was a curious kind of "still life"

and somehow we are still alive

inspite of everything

we have survived ourselves