Spring has not sprung in Boston

Do you know what I did this beautiful March morning? I put on my fleece pants, a thermal shirt with a wool sweater, my bogs boots, down filled wool coat, super sized scarf, gloves, hat/facemask combination, and ski goggles. Off on a mountain adventure? No! Off to walk the dog, more or less on the beach.
Might I add that the ski goggles have saved me this winter of many blizzards. The day I thought to put those on changed my dog walking life forever. That wind! That wind that has me dreading the morning as I hear it roar through the night, has no ability to go through goggles. I can see!
A friend asked me yesterday when Spring arrived around here. I admit to being a little confused. Who asks about Spring in the middle of winter? Then I noticed people posting pictures of crocus’ coming up in their bare yards, and making references to springlike things and remembered, I live in Antartica. Well, not really, but I live in Boston, which is kind of the same thing.
When Dave and I moved here from Utah 21 years ago, it was like moving to a foreign land. We actually didn’t know the name of our street until we arrived because our landlord had a wicked thick Boston accent. Our best guess was that our double decker was on Sagamaw Road. Upon following his directions (this was pre GPS people!) we discovered Sagamore Road and it all began to make sense. I went to the very Italian grocery store near our new home and asked for salsa. I was directed to the beverage aisle and showed seltzer water. For the record, they did have one brand of salsa, but were not accustomed to actually selling it.
Knowing we were moving to the land of leafy green trees, we were really disappointed when we arrived and realized the giant tree in the backyard was dead. Had we been more aware, we would have thought there was a blight, because there was not a leafy green tree in sight. It was May, but nothing had bloomed. We were moving from Utah, where we had attended BYU. That year I had trouble outfitting my three little ones because we had uncharacteristically hot weather in February, and they had no summer clothes. Wow! Weather shock was worse than all the other shocks combined. We lived near the beach then too, and had to bundle up in our winter coats, once they arrived on the moving truck, packed in the ‘winter clothing’ boxes, to enjoy playing in the sand.
My Spring ready friend thought it might help make the wait more bearable if she made a paper chain to count off the days. It might be a long chain, one that’s environmentally unkind due to the amount of paper it consumes. One that causes carpal tunnel syndrome due to the number of strips that need to be cut. One that requires the entire house to stretch from one end to the other. One that’s really hard to gauge since Spring could come next week for a day or two, or sometime in early June, the day before it hits 100. But Spring is coming!
Maybe I’ll make a paper chain too!

Location:Nantasket Beach

. . . when Hull freezes over!

As in: Sure I'll walk the dog at -3 degrees . . .

Or: Yes, I'll take down the Christmas decorations and haul the tree to the curb . . .

And: It will be my job to take the trash out for pickup . . .

You get the idea.



This was my back yard when I got up this morning. That is not a lovely snowfall, it's the ocean freezing as it hits the shore because, according to my The Weather Channel app, it's 11degrees (feels like -3) this morning.

Although I agree it is lovely. From my bedroom window where I was standing when I took the picture.

This is what I wore for our morning walk.



The view was just as lovely, but substantially colder, standing outside.

This is what Milo wore for our morning walk.



I guess it's true that fur coats are warmer.

Milo didn't mind the cold at all. In fact when we got home he was so hot in our 67 degree house that he had to sit on the porch to cool off.

It must stink wearing the same outfit whether its -3 degrees or 103 degrees.
#hairydogproblems

Location:Nantasket Rd,Hull,United States

Cooking for the Cambridge Crowd

From Kami:
8:09 am: I think Ashley left her phone somewhere so I might come home to eat dinner and grab it.

Me: ok.

10:08 am: would it be a possibility for other people to come to dinner as well?

Me: sure

In reality we had no plans for dinner. We have been eating Thanksgiving leftovers, and moved straight into production for a shower I hosted Saturday, so not a lot of regular grocery shopping has been going on. But, I mean obviously we are going to eat. And obviously, I'll never turn down a chance to have my girlie and her friends come to dinner. The last of the Thanksgiving turkey is in the freezer. I'll make a turkey pot pie.

Phone Call from Kami:

2:08 pm: So, remember that guy Spencer who came over last week? The one who doesn't eat gluten, dairy, or sugar. He's coming.

Me: ok. Talk, talk, talk, okay I'll figure it out.

Ok. I'll do 1 pot pie, and 1 with no crust, just mashed potatoes on top. Hmmm, mashed potatoes with no butter or milk? Ok. I'll use a little olive oil and chicken broth. He's not vegetarian right? Nope, not vegetarian. Ok. I've totally got this!

Text from Kami:

3:15 pm: AHHHH I just remembered we have one vegetarian coming. Is it too late to do something about it?

Me: ummm, do something about her being vegetarian? Probably. Or too late to do something about the fact that we're having Turkey Pot Pie, with or without gluten? Oh, the latter, I thought so. ummmm, ok. I'll figure something out.

Solution?

1 pot pie with gluten and turkey and lots of veggies, 1 pot pie with gluten and lots of veggies, and dairy (cheese) and no turkey, 1 pot pie (is it a pie with no crust? Or is is it a casserole?) with turkey, and no dairy, and no gluten. Did you get that?

Yep, done by 5:00 when everyone showed up. Kami brought cut up veggies to roast, since my only fresh produce option was a fruit salad, which is high in sugar.

It was all delicious, and everyone was thrilled with the pie of their choice.

And I was thrilled to have a house full of kids for a few hours.

And Tagg was thrilled to have a houseful of people besides me.

And Dave was thrilled to have dinner, because it's been an exhausting few days for him as my chief hostessing assistant.

All in all, a culinary success! Have a dietary restriction? Come on over, I'm your girl!

Location:Hull, MA

Thank you! You're too kind.

Look what Superstorm Sandy brought me!

It may not look like much now, but once I put legs on it and turn it into a really cool bench, you'll understand the value of driftwood.
Although Tagg, who pulled it from the rocky beach behind our house before someone else could! will verify it's unlikely something this heavy will drift much.
I'm feeling pretty lucky that we received this kind gift and no destruction.
At least I was feeling special until I saw what the first Nor' Easter of the year brought the neighbors!

Yes, this was taken from my back deck this morning. Hello boat! What are you doing here?
Someone's gonna want that back, but the wood is mine to keep.

Location:Nantasket Rd,Hull,United States

Cake-ation

Have you ever wondered how much cake is too much cake?

Have you ever discovered the answer to that question?

Do you just hate cake?

If the answer to that last question is yes, you're just weird. As for the other questions, I have my own theories.

What could be more fun than hanging out with your sister making your other sisters daughter a wedding cake? How about hanging out with your sister making your other sisters daughter a wedding cake AND making your other sisters other daughter a birthday cake!

Not an ordinary birthday cake, mind you, a birthday cake that for some reason is more than the wedding cake. And by more I don't mean better, just more. More cake, more fillings, more frosting, more layers. You know, just more!

Don't ask why, there is no one who can answer that question.

Sometimes when sisters get together things can get a little crazy.

And, a little sticky. Or, really sticky!

Let me share with you the things I learned from my cake-ation:

1. Not everyone travels with cake pans in their luggage
2. Sugar is sticky
3. When you are filling a 6 inch cake, 2 cups of lemon curd is too much
4. The 4th batch of buttercream is considerably less tasty than the first batch, even when they are identical
5. The 4th day of cake making is considerably less hilarious than the first day, and they are never identical
6. On the first day of cake making, anything seems possible
7. Cake from scratch is so much better than store bought cake that you cannot ever, ever, ever compare them. So please don't try!
8. Did I mention that sugar is sticky? Sorry Kriste, you will be finding sticky patches on your table, counters, and floor for a while yet
9. Making cake for your nieces is worth every minute!

If you're wondering what's inside, the wedding cake is white cake with cream cheese filling and vanilla almond buttercream.

The birthday cake is (big breath) white cake with lemon curd filling, white cake with cream cheese filling, and chocolate cake with strawberry pastry cream filling, all covered in vanilla almond buttercream. You know, more!









And as for how much cake is too much? Well, as far as i know there are no leftovers, so you decide.

Location:Somewhere between Utah and Massachusetts

Adventures in Painting

The sun was so hot
there was no time to play!
So I went to the store
On that nice summer day.

I went to the paint store
I drove in my car
To buy pretty blue paint
But I didn't get far

On the project I planned
For that bright sunny day
To paint in the closet
Then put it away

Because
something went bump
And that bump made me jump!

Then I looked
And I saw it all over the floor
I looked
And the paint was all over, and more
And I said out loud
Aaah, you stupid stinky store!
You did not put the lid on
Now that is not right!
You did not put the lid on
It was not at all tight!

I wanted to paint
I do not know good tricks
For picking up paint
From my floor made of sticks!
I do not want to vacuum
To mop and to scrub
I do not want to ruin
The white of my tub.

I haven't the time
For this kind of trick
I do not like it
Not one little bit!

But I wiped and I mopped
And I used all my tools
To pick up the paint
That was was spilled due to fools!

I got out a toothbrush
To clean out the cracks
And the steam mop helped too
And them came the wet Vac!

And I spit and I shined
And my family helped too
Till the only thing left
Was the tub
Which was blue

And I got out the cleaner
And wiped it away
And finally I could
Move on with my day

Do you know what I painted
That bright sunny day?
The floor in the closet
Six inches away



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Let's have a Pantry Party!

Welcome to my pantry. I had a pantry party today.  My friend Esther came over.  She is a brilliant organizer.  She is also from England and has a lovely accent. She is also a lovely person and very fun to hang out with.  You should try it sometime.





This is the alternate pantry entrance.  If you are an appliance, or a very, very small person.





These are the appliances that live on the other side of the alternate entrance.  They like to hide here when not in use.





This is where my baking supplies live. Another lovely friend, Heather, helped me organize these baskets. You would like her too. So really I had two pantry parties this week.





This is my pantry floor. I painted it myself. I really, really like it. I didn't sweep  before I took this picture.  I didn't want anyone to feel bad if their floor wasn't spotless like mine.  I'm sensitive that way.






Esther had a genius idea to color coordinate these shelves.  The color gradation is beautiful. The top shelf is clear glass objects. I never, in a million years, would have come up with this plan. I love it!!!  Thanks, Esther.  Sorry my photography is so incredibly hideous.





She even kept the groove going in the 'less lovely stuff' section.





Yes, we do have food in the pantry

By the way, if you're wondering what to serve at a pantry party. Serve this. It's delicious!!!

Avocado, tomato, mozzarella salad for 4:

6 cups lettuce (I used butter lettuce)
2 ripe avocados, diced, tossed with a little lemon or lime juice
3 ripe tomatoes, diced
8 oz. fresh mozzarella, diced 2 tablespoon fresh chopped basil, or 1 teaspoon dried
Brieanna's Blush Wine Viniagrette

Just mix everything togetherer, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and add dressing as desired. Yum, yum. Serve with some delicious artisan bread and enjoy! Good friends, good food, good fun, and good organization.

February 1st, 2012; a day that will live in infamy

Possibly the most abnormal day of my life.

Let me share it with you.

4:22 am: the phone rings, I run to the base to find it's not there.

4:23 am: the phone rings, I run downstairs to answer it. It's Tim saying it's time to come watch little Ginny while they go to the hospital for the birth of baby number two. I'm twenty minutes away I say.

4:27 am: I glance at the clock while brushing my teeth.

4:32 am: in my car on the way.

4:53 am: I call Tim to buzz me into the building. Not a moment too soon he says.

4:54 am: I enter the apartment. Many moments too late, I think.

4:55 am: I call 911. I'm with a friend who is not going to make it to the hospital in time to deliver her baby I say. They say many, many things in reply. Which I relay to Tim who is DELIVERING A BABY!!!!!! He and Rebecca are very calm and in control. Ginny doesn't ever wake up. I'm grateful for this.

5:00 am: Baby Girl is born!

5:04 am: EMTs arrive. Somewhere between 4:57 and 5:02 a police officer arrived. He was not the most important person at the time, so I really don't remember exactly when. I just remember running desperately for the front of the building to let him in, thinking it was the EMTs. I'm glad they lived on the first floor!

5:05 am: I text Dave 'the baby was born IN THE HOUSE!!!'

Basically the rest of the day: blur, blur, blur, take care of Ginny, blur, blur, blur.

7:00 pm: Relief Society Enrichment Night. We talk about Strenghtening Marriage. Someone may or may not have suggested sleeping naked and having sex 2 or 3 times a night. I may or may not have considered suggesting no sex ever as it may lead to having a baby, which may not be a good idea. Don't worry, I steered the conversation to safer ground.

The End

What's right with the world

Thursday night was Dave's company party at House of Blues in Boston.

I learned a few important lessons.

1. I must find somwhere in my house to put patchwork silk wallpaper and patchwork Persian rugs. The Foundation Room they use for private parties is AMAZING. http://www.houseofblues.com/venues/clubvenues/boston/foundationroom.php

2. Kami's Lady Gaga tutorial on our drive to NYC came in very handy.

3. Attending a Holiday Party (no offense intended by the use of the "H" word, don't even get me started.) as the President's wife is very similar to chaperoning my kids high school house parties when we lived in Holliston. Mass of bodies, loud music, can't hear what people are saying. Only difference being, no one was trying to sneak in alcohol, they were just drinking it openly.

4. If you're ever in a jam, what you probably need is a sausage vendor.

As we left House of Blues at 10 pm, things were just heating up there on Lansdowne street. For those of you unfamiliar with Boston, Lansdowne Street is the home to Fenway, where the Red Sox play, as well as a variety of nightclubs. What I didn't know, not being a big club person (shocking, I know), is that Sausage vendors can apparently set up all year long, and not just on game days.

Immediately after noticing the food cart, I noticed what I would consider a little girl, although I'm sure she was one of the thousands of local college students, standing on the other side of the sidewalk. She was notable for a few reasons. 1st, she was wearing a cute little pink and white outfit with high heels and no coat, and 2nd, she was simultaneously mumbling under her breath, texting, and crying. Uh oh. Just as I started to ask her what was wrong, I heard the vendor behind me, in his full Boston accent, say 'ah sweetheart, whatsamattah? Did your friends leave ya behind?" Lest you are a sceptic like me, don't worry about ulterior motives, he was working his cart with what appeared to be his wife and son, and there were lots of people around. None of whom seemed the least bit worried about this cold, sad young woman standing on the side of the road crying. But he noticed, and cared.

I had the distinct impression this was not his first rescue. As I drove away, he had her sitting on a stool behind the cart, under the overhang, and had found something for her to wrap around her shoulders. I feel sure she got safely home that night.

Thank goodness for wonderful people everywhere who still care. The Mom me sleeps a little better at night after seeing that.

'Twas two weeks after Christmas . . .

and all through the house. Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.

Really, absolute silence.

Weird.

Let me just give you the highlights of our Christmss vacation.

Kami came home!
Tagg came home!
McKay and Annie came home!
Chase called!

That's the good parts version, folks.

Other things of note.

We have a kitchen!

Definitely short on finish work, but We have a kitchen!!!!!

We have a living room!

With furniture!!!

We have a Dining Room Table!!!!


. . . and to all a good night!

p.s. Sorry about the exclamation points, but . . .

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Presto Chango

Do you want to know what I love about New England?

Aside from a beautiful (though rainy) autumn day with adorable teenagers and a quaint apple/pumpkin picking farm.

I like plasterers. Not drywall mudders. Plasterers. They are amazing! These are not grizzled old men who learned this skill in the old country. These are young guys who have learned a rare trade.
Remember when my house looked like this? No? Well, I do. It was Monday.

Then Paul and his crew put up blue board and it looked like this.

Then the plasterers came with their stilts and mad skills. They are amazing. They cover the entire surface with a thin layer of plaster. The end result is perfection! No sanding, no coming back for a second coat. Suddenly, you have an amazing wall that looks like this! Magic!






Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Location:Nantasket Rd,Hull,United States

FYI

I just thought I'd share this picture of my gas fireplace chimney.

I say chimney because I don't want to say flue because I'm not sure how to spell it and I'm too lazy to look it up.

By closing this app and opening my dictionary app.

Which I don't actually have although there are doubtless 927 of them, at least.





I took this picture as part of my GC job.

Because of this:




Do you see how they cut into that 2 x 4 to install this pipe?

Yes, that 2 x 4 carefully designed and installed as part of the recessed area above the fireplace that will allow me to hide our embarrassingly large television with something beautiful but as yet unknown.

That's the 2x4 they cut into all right. So they could put the pipe in the tv place.

But don't worry, it's fixed now.

Because that's what GCs do. They take iPhone pictures of mistakes so they can prove it!

They also arrive at home and wonder why the front door is locked, and the door leading from the garage-doorless garage into the house is standing open.

That's just how we GCs roll.








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Location:Nantasket Rd,Hull,United States

Notable beach sightings

Last week Dave and I took advantage of a beautiful warm evening to walk on the beach.

This is what I learned (apart from the fact that I desperately want it to stay light until 7 all winter)




Also apart from the fact that I am a horrible photographer that has no editing skills

#1. Frisbee is alive and well in the 50+ crowd. My imaginary life history of this couple includes many competitions in the 70's. They also passed the time at Woodstock by practicing.

Also, the man is more passionate about the sport, but the woman has some mad skills.



#2. Sometimes you have to carry a shoulder bag at the beach.

Even though you are wearing your running shorts and shoes.

I don't know why.



#3. Many, many people, none of which are me, have well behaved beach dogs who walk beside them completely ignoring the many seagulls who clearly need to be chased.

Milo, take note.

Location:Nantasket Beach

I'm dreaming of a white kitchen

I am a baker. Really. I owned a bakery, and baked every day. I enjoy baking. I think it is fun, fun, fun! Especially when there is no pressure to create maximum product in minimum time.

But, I currently have no kitchen. I may have mentioned that a time or two hundred. I am a baker without a kitchen.

I can dream though. And, this is what I would bake if I were able.

Pumpkin Praline Biscuits.

I would welcome the cool, prematurely dark days with pumpkin.

I love these delicious sweet biscuits. I found them in Better Homes and Gardens years ago, when I still liked Better Homes and Gardens. Make them please, and tell me how delicious they are so I can enjoy them vicariously.

Pumpkin Praline Biscuits:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/8 tsp. salt
1/2 cup butter or margarine, cold and cut into 1 inch pieces
1/2 cup pecans, toasted and chopped
3/4 cup canned pumpkin
2/3 cup milk
1/3 cup packed brown sugar

1 tbsp. butter or margarine
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup half-and-half or light cream
1/4 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
2/3 cup sifted powdered sugar

1/4 cup pecans, toasted and finely chopped

1. Toast pecans, separate and chop. The pecans for the top should be more finely chopped than those in the biscuits.
2. Combine flour, baking powder, 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, and 1/8 teaspoon salt. Using a pastry blender or two knives, cut in the 1/2 cup cold butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in the 1/2 cup pecans. Make a well in the center of the dry mixture.
2. In another bowl combine canned pumpkin, milk, and 1/2 cup brown sugar; whisk together and add all at once to dry mixture. Using a fork, stir just until moistened. Drop dough onto greased baking sheet, forming 16 mounds. Bake in a 400 F oven for 12 to 15 minutes or till golden.
3. Melt 1 tablespoon butter or margarine over medium heat. Stir in 1/3 cup brown sugar, half-and-half, and 1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice. Bring mixture just to boiling; reduce heat and boil gently for 2 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in powdered sugar. Beat until smooth. If it seems a little runny, let it sit a few minutes. If it seems thick, you can thin it with a little more half and half while still bubbling, but keep in mind it should set up like a praline.
4. Spoon the topping over the biscuits and quickly sprinkle with the finely chopped pecans before the topping sets.

Yum! Please love this!

Location:Hull, Ma

Oh, the places you'll go

I don't know where Oconnell Way, Boston is. But it sounds awesome, so I won't correct my location finder. Or turn it off, which is what paranoid, conspiracy theory type people do.

I will just commence in my original mission which is to enlighten all 6 followers of my blog, who I recognize are hoping for bakery recipes and not boring histories of my life, where the last 26 mostly fabulous years of marriage have taken me.

I will start at the end, because that is what prompted this post in the first place. Last weekend Dave and I took Milo, the only dependent currently living at home, to A Fox and Hounds to board for the weekend (why has no one invented weekend boarding for children?) and celebrated our anniversary (which was August 14) by shopping for home building supplies.

That sounds bad, but it wasn't. It was the fun kind of shopping. For cool antique pieces, which it turns out do not exist in our price range, at Brimfield and in New York City. It was a fun weekend. One of probably 15 which have occurred in New York in the last 26 years. Half of them since McKay and Annie moved there 17 months ago. They might be getting tired of us.

In the early years most of our vacations involved all night driving to Spokane, LA, or Seattle from Utah where we were students. I am no longer capable of working all day, packing a carload of small children and stuff, driving all night, and then going straight into a full day of vacation fun. I'm too old and tired for that stuff!

Later, we graduated to flying vacations, although I have driven cross country from Boston to Washington State a time or two. Or 5. And back again, of course.

Some of our favorite family vacations have been to Disney World. I love Disney. I am a true fan. I suggest going the second week of December, when it is decorated for Christmas, but responsible parents are making their children go to school. It is beautiful, and relatively quiet.

We also had a wonderful family trip to Puerto Rico. We do love a vacation that involves sunshine and sand. We definitely recommend Puerto Rico over Cabo, although we have decided that the vacation activities offered tend to be very similar regardless of the tropical location you choose. Parasailing, glass bottom boat rides, jet skis and ATVs, and those crazy individual submarine numbers where you just stick your head in a bubble and go investigate life under the sea. Who came up with that idea?Yes, I have done all these things although they all fall into categories of things that tend to frighten me. I even rode the roller coaster at the top of the Stratosphere in Las Vegas, although I drew the line at the Big Shot and let the rest of the family go without me. To be honest, I won't even ride those things when they start at ground level.

It turns out family vacations often involve things I find frightening. Like our hike to the top of Angel's Landing at Zion's. People die there, semi regularly. I, fortunately, did not. Nor did my family, for which I am grateful.

Ah, good memories of good times. I can't wait to see where the next 26 years take us!

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Location:Oconnell Way,Boston,United States

The education of a self declared GC

This is the house the day before the storm. They hauled off the dumpster as a safety measure so I took advantage of the opportunity to see the front of the house.


I am learning so many important things building this house.

For example: 2 x 4 construction can hold R 15 insulation. We need R 19. Thank you to the 'expert' who recommended that as a way to save money :).

You can buy 'prison series' sinks online. Ummm, why?

I have a wonderful imagination which the design industry has not kept up with.

No matter how you time it, things you do not yet need will be sitting in the way of the plumber and electrician, and things you need now will not.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Location:Hull, MA

Life under construction

And after children.

The kids are gone. Off to college, leaving Mom home alone all day.

Oh, wait. Home with Milo all day.

Milo is the only member of the family who is currently unable to stay home alone.

Because he believes that all contractors are here to visit him.

They could not possibly have anything more important to do than play with the homeowners dog.

And so, this is our schedule:

6:00 am.: prepare for 1st walk.

7:00 am: contractors show up, greeted by a dog, or a dog barking from behind the barricade I've erected on the 2nd floor.

7:10 am: noise commences. Don't get me wrong. Noise is a good thing. Noise = Progress = :-).

8:30 am: 2nd walk.

9:30 am: Milo naps, Carol captive in 3 room living space doing 'stuff'

11:30 am: we go somewhere, which invariably involves 3rd walk.

3:00 pm: Milo naps, Carol pulls hair out and wonders why she has a dog. She does more 'stuff', which is important but not especially fun and dreams of the day she will be laying floor, painting or tiling.

4:00 pm: contractors go home, and noise ceases.

4:15 pm: 4th walk.

5:00 pm: Carol goes to run errands since Milo can now be left home alone. I also wonder WHY every hardware store I need to visit closes at 6:00 pm. Really????

7:00 pm. Contemplate what to fix for dinner in our kitchenless house. It usually involves the salad bar at the Hingham Fruit Market.

7:30 pm: Dave gets home from work and we eat dinner. When we're lucky this occurs on the back deck and coincides with the sun setting over Bumpkin Island. It used to set over Boston. Anyone know why that is?

We also contemplate the fact that if Dave could get off work at noon in the winter we could continue the sunset dinner tradition by eating at 3:00 pm.

8:00 pm: 5th walk and family tour of progress on the house.

The End.

Please come over and entertain me. Please.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Hull, MA

Laughing all the way to the oven

I made these cookies for our Ward Primary Scripture Camp.

They were a huge success. Apparently, everyone loves a cookie with snicker in the name.

It was a favorite of my Dad. One of the few things he made in the kitchen, although he made a lot of things in the shop.

This is the recipe I used at the bakery. And a tasty one it is! Even if it doesn't have chocolate, which I think is a very important key to anything truly delicious.

So, for all you cinnamon sugar lovers out there . . .

Snickerdoodles:

Ingredients:

5 cups All-purpose flour
2 teaspoons Cream of tartar (that magical ingredient kept in pantries everywhere for the sole purpose of making snickerdoodles, I think)
1 1/2 teaspoon Baking soda
1teaspoon Salt

1pound (2 cups) butter
2 3/4 cups granulated sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla
4 eggs

1. Whisk dry ingredients together

2. Cream butter and sugar (remember my 5 minute rule. Cream until very smooth and fluffy)

3. Add vanilla and eggs and mix at low speed until well blended. It might look curdled, but that is normal, not a sign of anything icky or weird.

4. Stir in dry ingredients until just blended.

At this point, I suggest refrigerating the dough for an hour or so which will make the shaping part less sticky.

5. Mix together 1 cup sugar and 2 tablespoons (or to taste) cinnamon.

6. Roll a heaping tablespoon of dough into a ball and roll in cinnamon sugar.

Bake at 350 F for about 12 minutes or until edges turn golden brown.

This recipe makes quite a few cookies. I am not sure exactly how many as Milo did in fact eat the corner of the paper on which I had noted the yield.

Sorry. I think it made about 5 dozen.

Happy eating! sol (snicker out loud)







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Location:Hull, MA

I love what you've done with the place . . .

We now have exposed beam ceilings and an open floor plan.



We've added this convenient basement entrance. A fireman's pole might be useful.


Views of the harbor from the front door.


When I say we are doing our own demo, some people aren't sure what I mean.

Well, this used to be a house with walls, ceilings, and a fireplace and chimney.

Now, it is this.

And, we did it with pry bars and sledge hammers. THAT'S what I mean.

I'm tired!!!

Location:I love what you've done with the place. . .

Goooooo Dinner!

Not having a kitchen makes you view things differently.

Like English muffins, for example.

I had a toasted English muffin with peanut butter four meals in a row.

And I was grateful to the Browns for sending them, along with their son, because I am not sure what I would have eaten otherwise.

Today, I rallied my motivation and cooked an entire meal.

This is what we had:
*ribs, slow cooked in the crockpot, and finished on the grill
*corn on the cob, soaked in cold water for 30 minutes, then wrapped in foil and cooked on the grill for 30 minutes, followed by 5 minutes unwrapped to give them some color
*potatoes, 'baked' in the microwave

A very respectable dinner for someone with no kitchen. But, here's what sent it into high five territory.

I mixed up a chocolate pudding cake in a foil pan, and baked it on the top rack of the grill. And, it worked!

I felt an intense sense of accomplishment after Tagg, Christy, Dave and I finished eating. Like we needed to have an end of game cheer.

And, we did. Well, I did, and everyone agreed it was totally warranted.

Two, four, six, eight, who do we appreciate? Dinner! Dinner! Dinner!


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Location:Nantasket Ave,Hull,United States