macaroni morbidi

this is how we feel today
like overcooked noodles

limp

without zip zap vim or vigor

on the other hand we made pesto genovese

we made the chunky version

we had some with crisp toasted focaccia

and the first BIG ripe tomato from the garden

it is the first of the Pruden's Purple / she is big as a Big Beef which we also have / Miss P Purple is a lovely coral colour with faint golden streaks

she is purple in the same way that a purple finch is purple

meaning not really "purple" / more of a coral colour

yes yes, we have seen such a thing with our very own eyes

baked pancake craze Act 2

butter lavishly mini muffin pans / preheat oven to 400 degrees

heat the muffin pan while you make the batter

2 eggs / pinch of salt or other seasonings if you wish / 1/2 cup flour and 1/2 cup milk / mix lightly / it can be lumpy

now also have ready some kind of filling / at the moment i am wanting finely chopped raw vegetables like zucchini and red pepper and corn kernels fresh off the cob and some sweet onion and a green herb or two / maybe some basil and some chives

so when the oven is hot and the muffin tin is hot and the butter in it is sizzling put some of the batter in each one and then add a spoon ful of the filling

an alternate plan is to bake the batter first / it will puff up / put the filling in after it is baked and puffed up into a cup like item

let/s see mini muffin pans should take maybe 12 minutes ?

OR

the small crockery pie pans cd be used for a larger serving

heading to the kitchen now / will check back soon

secret to serenity

short lists

all in do time

smile

in-put itis

in-put itis

what is in-put itis ?

attempting to absorb an overload of free advice

becoming saturated with pointless opinions and thoughtless well meaning intentions

bogged down by irrelevant suggestions

stuffed with concern

burdened with blabber

oh i cd go on

but i am suffering from Too Much Unwanted InPut

so there

do not disturb

while i introduce a moratorium

meanwhile put your in-put out to lunch

it is 108 degrees today

in beautiful downtown Moab

it is 108 degrees of temperature // HOT

~~~~~~

in keeping with jaded synch

plumbing concerns require turning OFF the water

ooops / pipes break / how ever will we water the garden ? the corn is beginning to tassle !!

dont no dont

definitely dont
say what you r
Not

definitely not
and
a dont not

says naught

Seduced and Abandoned

we were so thrilled to meet you

we loved you at first sight

we came to see you every day

we wrote you with enthusiasm and great expectations

we admired and adored everything you said

no matter how inane, banal, or incoherent

we hung in there as best we could being flighty and all

we drifted apart

we neglected you

we were sporadic

inconsistent

silly

and so on

but

We.Are.Back

to seduce you all over again

but this time we will be ........

make more promises ?

blog revival

one day i thought, hmmm, a blog spot is a new spot to write on / like a new notebook that you didnt already have one of

or

like a yellow legal pad / a Big Chief tablet / a composition book with wide lines / a composition book with narrow lines / a surveyors book with quadrangles / a thick block of newsprint / a kids’ tablet for learning how to write

a different canvas / a different kind of paper / calling for a different intstrument / instead of a pen or a pencil or a crayon or a pastel or a brush / a whole new venue for a Scribble Series

with keyboard and mouse

the blog wanders / wonders

links will not work / pictures will not appear / there will be no about me profile / no comments / no clamoring for hordes of readers

to share the address is like having stuff laid out on my work table at happy trail where visitors came and went / looked to see what i was working on / work in process / work in progress

there is no there there / it just is it / smile

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

the thing with the secret ingredient is ......

.....................

the secret ingredient determines whether we will watch Iron Chef or not

Skaterina sez she knows she is changing...

....................

she know longer cares what the secret ingredient is

Red Soup, Green Soup

we love tomato soup / we love campbells tomato soup / with a can of milk added to it

Caterina sed we have to eat up last year's crop of canned tomatoes

she made a soup that was just like cambells before you add the milk / you know, kind of thick and gorpy ?

we humored her and ate some *thinned* with milk / snore

next day she thinned the tomato gorp with some homemade beef broth and coconut milk !

wow

seasoned with Fire Salt and Black Pepper / cheddar biscuit on the side

what no croutons ?

SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

now we are having Green Soup

Caterina chopped some onion some celery some greenparts of scallions and some garlic in the food processor / limped them in butter/olive oil / added a big bunch of spring spinach that had been de-stemmed and run though the processor

add jellied beef broth and simmer until barely done / cool enough to put some but not all in the blender

Miss Tickle picks fresh parsley and cilantro / chopps it up / and it goes into the soup pot

this is a very green soup / warm it up and serve with a handfull of Mexican fresca cheese cubes

divinely green with bits of spring leafiness / chunk of focaccia slathered with unsalted butter

did i mention the Fire Salt ? yummy hot

Baked Pancake

we had the baked pancake featured the other day in the New York Times for breakie today :

it is fun and easy to make :

preheat oven to 425'

lightly beat an egg, add 1/4 cup flour and 1/4 cup milk, a dash of salt and a grating of nutmeg

heat an iron frying pan with a heat proof handle with several tablespoons of butter until the butter is melted but not brown / for the amt of ingredients above use a medium size pan

pour the batter into the hot butter and immediately put the pan into the oven

bake for 15 minutes until puffed up and golden

drizzle with lemon juice and confectioners sugar and serve with fruits or jam

but we didnt do that / we steamed a little spinach in butter and chopped up some Mexican Fresca cheese into cubes / put the spinach and cheese on the pancake and back in the over for a few minutes

this was yummy

next time we will put roasted tomato/garlic jam on it