It's really cold when we get up today. I mean, REALLY. Ok, so not really cold by Prairie standards, or Arctic standards, no, not like that. But, ok really chilly. How's that? I have plans...yeah I know, plans...to go to the store if Richard will drive me over. No way will I drive that stalling vehicle anywhere. It makes me say swears.
We make a foray down to the Victoria Quay to eat a burger and watch for wildlife, and are entertained by a couple of seals in the middle of the Canal. They appear to be diving for fish. Or teasing seagulls. Or just having fun frolicking in the water, doing seal things. Last week when we were at the Quay, there were Sea Lions fishing. We got a kick out of one of them, who swam over to the shore and barked at a man who was standing and watching them.
Driving back into the yard, Richard points out a pile of Cute Little Island Black Bear poop at the corner by the shed. I make a scrunchy face, but make him stop so I can get out and photograph it. Why would I do that, you ask? Read on...
...last night I talked to Bente and she told me a funny story. She does like I do in the morning, check her garden to see what is new. As she walked out that morning, something on the forest side of her street caught her eye. Like me, she talks to herself sometimes: "Is that...? Naw, it can't be...it IS! A huge pile of Bear Poop!" Back indoors she goes for her camera. What!?! Well it's what I would have done too! Out she comes and takes photo's of it. She figures it was a big GrandDaddy bear from the size of it.
She spent the day working at cleaning up her garden and yard, all the while watching to see who would finally run over this pile. Her young neighbor won that lottery, snicker. She sent me the photo's last night and I have to tell you, I have a REALLY strong stomach, but one of those nasty photos nearly made me wretch!!! My photos of the Bear poop are revenge, albeit not as nasty as hers. And that will teach me to laugh about her Bear poop...
...after bringing in our meager purchases and giving the dogs a treat for being good while we were gone, I hunt up my toque, my mitts, and my jacket so I can take the kids out into the garden yard. Pippi looks at me funny when I put on my toque, lifting her ears in question: "You not reely gonna go out like dat, are ya mom?" They race out towards the boat, screeching to a halt under the King Apple tree. Uh oh, that's not a good sign. They are busy sniffing about as I hobble up, and Pippi growls at the others in a back-off-I-found-it-first-and-you-can't-have-a-sniff kinda way. I try to push her away and she resists. UH OH, THAT'S NOT A GOOD SIGN.
Hmmmm, my eyes go slitty. Broken branch on ground, lots of leaves, apples - some chewed on. I glance quickly around, trying not to alarm the dogs and and spy it, not two feet from them. BEAR POOP, two little piles of it. Oh Gak! As quickly as I can, I shoo the dogs back into the house, then shout at Richard to bring the scoop shovel. Then quickly go in and retrieve my camera. The photo above shows you how happy he was to comply with my request. I scooped dirt from the garden boat to put on the spot where the bear pooped and where I assume it peed - that being what the kids were trying to sniff up.
Excitement over, we loose the hounds again so they can finally have their run in the yard. Back inside, I do some laundry while Richard gets the wood stove going. It is very cold in the house. The kids settle on the back of the sofa to watch for bear monsters.
Around 4pm, Richard has gone to check on Ron and I decide to take the dogs out to the garden yard again for a run in the chilly air. Mason races out to the corner of the fence where he immediately starts to growl, snarl and bark, looking down towards the big pear trees. Darn, it's the Cute Little Island Black Bear, and he's real busy in the Comice Pears. Roaring at the dogs, I chase them inside again - not our day for outdoors I guess. I watch him come down the tree from the living room patio doors.
The thing about black bears is they don't just climb the tree then sit and eat the fruit. Oh no. They climb the tree, pick the fruit, toss it to the ground, make their descent, then lay down and enjoy the fruits of their labor - pun intended. Sneaking out, I try and get some photo's of him, shooting through the opening between the Holly Bushes. I'm not too successful because it is cloudy and I'm a tad shaky. Yup, I am that unnerved by them. And yes, my door was locked.
I give up and work on making dinner, all the while having one eye turned towards the window in case he decides to get really bold and go for the apples. About 5:15 or so, the dogs alert that Richard is home. I wait for him to come through the door to tell him about the bear. And wait. And wait. Finally I look out the kitchen window and see him parked down by the little pear tree, making motions towards the big pear trees. Hmmmmmm. Outside I holler at him that the bear has been there for an hour and a half. He is laughing at it and tells me to grab my camera.
We negotiate and I decide to back the van up to where I can get some decent shots of him. Meanwhile Richard is hollering and banging on the old wheelbarrow. The more noise you make when you have a bear in your yard, the more you frighten it, the less chance he will return again...in theory. I shoot some photo's, then Richard suggests I back up and around the drive so I am facing bear and the tree, maybe get better shots. I do so with trepidation.
Now I am about 30 feet from it - the bear being up in the pear tree - and quickly shoot 2 photo's. Mr. Bear decides he has just about had enough of these human's, grunts and grumbles at me and starts to move in the tree like he is going to climb down. I am GONE! Back around by the little pear tree I see something drop out of the tree. Eeeewwwww gross! He is going to the bathroom from up in the tree! Richard is laughing at me for taking off so fast and at the bear for doing what bears do. I'm heading inside; I too have had enough.
My photo's don't turn out too good this time either, that shaky thing you know. But that has been enough excitement for one day. New rules:
1. Gate to garden yard ALWAYS remains closed and locked.
2. Before dogs go out, check thorougly to ensure no bear in yard.
3. Check that no bear in pear trees.
4. After dogs back in house, close and lock gate.
These rules remain in effect until all fruit finished up and bear gone.
So, what did we learn from all this? That's easy. We learned that the answer to the age old question "Does a bear sh*t in the woods?" is "nope, not necessarily all the time" and "sometimes he sh*ts on them."
And that's the bear, er, bare facts.
The sun is shining when I wake up, what an auspicious start to the day. It is the Canadian Election Day and we have plans to go and vote, then do a bit of shopping for a few things we need, then home so I can bake and Richard go to work. We need to be home by 2pm at the latest. Hmmph. You know what happens when I make plans...
...as I sit down to enjoy my morning cappuccino, I notice there are messages on the phone. The first one is from Kate's son - my nephew - Eric in Edmonton. He has a concern about Sophie, their tiny Bichon girl. Sophie is one of my puppies from Molly and Mason's first litter. I knew right away what the problem was, just from what he said in the message so immediately phoned them back to allay their fears. Sophie has developed luxating patella, a condition that is sort of like popping your kneecap out of joint. Initially it's painful but within three to four days it eases and they soon can walk normally again.
Next message was a call from a technician at the hospital about our landlord Ron. Richard had to rush him to emergency about 11 days ago, and we were very relieved when they hospitalized him. The technician's message said she was trying to reach Ron as she understood he had been released. Well, as Richard is Ron's only contact person, we hadn't been informed they were releasing him. That led to a flurry of phone calls to discover that yes, he had been released and yes, Richard needed to go to the hospital and get him and take him home. And there went the day.
I decided to go shopping by myself, and after leaving the Dollar Store - where I found lots of great and wondrous things - I met up with Richard again. He had to get some food supplies for Ron so off to Walmart we went. Ron only drinks one brand of tea, and one type within that brand and of course it is only sold waaaaaaaaaaaay across town in the furthest store from us. We decided to go and vote, my motto has always been - "if you don't vote, you can't bitch about the government" - then Richard could take Ron's other groceries to him while I went and got the tea.
And of course, the van decided that today was the day it would act up and stall 9 times between here and Quality Foods. AAAARRRGGH! I got his tea, and a few things I really needed and came home. Shopping can wait until another day!
Back home, and time to take the dogs outdoors in the sun. We wander around as usual, I noting that the Scarlet Runner Beans on the shed have frozen, as had the few remaining tomatoes in the mini pea patch. Time to pull and toss. Over by the boat, it's warm in the sunshine and the dogs are frisky, chasing about. I decide to search for and deactivate doggy mines, which takes a while. They all seem to have their favorite spots to plant them all over the yard and it varies from day to day so it can be dangerous work.
I find several windfall apples and toss them for the deer, watch a flock of Canada Geese practise their take-offs and landings and listen to birds gossiping in the trees above us. Only Mason, my guard Bichon, stays out in the yard with me. The girls have all wandered back to the deck by the door. Time to go back in.
Richard leaves and I decide a sandwich is in order. Last night, I made two loaves of Brioche and 6 small loaves of Panettone. The Brioche is delightful, the Panettone should taste more of Anise, but I couldn't find my jar. I substituted fresh ground Star Anise instead, but didn't get enough ground. I did look for some at Quality Foods today for next time, but I refuse to pay $4.99 for it. Time to go to Alberni Health Market.
Grazing the kitchen, I spy the ripe tomatoes on the counter and settle on a 3 tomato sandwich. Why 3 tomatoes? I would have had a 5 tomato sandwich but I can't fit anymore than 3 on the bread. I choose slices of Black Prince, Yellow Mortgage Lifter and Pink Brandywine. The first two are amazingly delicious. The third, not so much, but that is because it wasn't vine ripened I think. I have a bowl of ripe tomatoes of various types and think maybe it's time for a quick salsa recipe.
I watch the news while I eat my sandwich. Everyone is talking about the election. My opinion is, if you don't vote, you can't bitch about who gets elected. I get to bitch for another 4 years - unless they call ANOTHER election next year. Think that we should have a rule that elections can ONLY be every 4 years - not 3 times in 4 years - and that a different party has to be elected, no party can run two terms in a row. Maybe that would fix what ails this country. Ok, I'll step down from my soapbox now.
Time to make something sweet, and my choice is the 1 Dish Cinnamon Swirl Bread. This time I am going to use dried Cranberries and less sugar in the streusel topping. Soon I have it baking in the oven and the house is redolent with cinnamon and yeast.
While it bakes, I take the dogs outside for one last tour before dark. They race to the end of the yard hooting and hollering, and a herd of deer bounces away towards the creek. I hadn't realized they were here eating apples. Oooops. The girls check out the grass, the leaves the flowers that remain while Mason stands guard, watching for deer monsters to return. I toss a few more windfall apples, pull up the remaining jalapeno pepper plants and the lone eggplant and throw them over the fence. Time to go check the Cinnamon Swirl bread.
And it's just what the doctor ordered, a sugar rush after a very hectic day. Less sugar, the addition of dried Cranberries to the streusel, makes it just right.
Darn, now I need something salty to counteract all that sugar. I know, I have those Cheezies I asked Richard to bring me home last night. That will fix it.
But then I will need something sweet again, to counteract the salt...
...sigh, dontcha hate that?
The sun is shining this morning. That bodes well for the day, I hope. Rain is forecast for tonight but for now, the sun is shining and I am up and planning my day.
Last night before going to bed I mixed up some simple sourdough starter. I prefer to start mine with a bit of yeast as the one time I tried to start it with wild yeast from the air, the wild yeast went wild somewhere else. My starter turned a putrid pink and had to be dumped. Eeeeewww! This morning my starter is bubbling merrily on the counter in its crockery pot, the insert to one of my several slow cookers. They are perfect for making sourdough in.
I had taken some lean ground beef out of the freezer last night with the idea of making a hearty beef pie today for dinner. Soon another of my slow cookers is bubbling, this time with beef pie filling, redolent with onions, carrots, fresh chopped tomatoes, frozen peas, burger, bay leaves and beef broth. I am still trying to make up my mind whether to use puff pastry for the pie or pie pastry. Probably a last minute decision, but I am leaning towards the puff pastry.
Now that that is taken care of, I decide to make my Stuffing Bread dough. I found a good recipe on the internet here and decided to try it. I made one change, deciding to throw in a handfull of dried cranberries [yes, I AM a dried cranberry addict. Sooo?] to give a sweet/tart bite to the onions and herbs in it. With one false start - the active dry yeast didn't want to desolve in the small amount of milk I put it in, so dumped it and started over with more milk - the dough was soon mixing up in the bread machine. This recipe called for 3 cups flour, 1/3 cup cornmeal as the main dry ingredients. That is a 1&1/2 pound loaf, in bread machine parlance. My big machine can make up to a 3 pound loaf of bread, so I figured maybe if I was lucky, it would fill the pan 2/3 to 3/4 full when fully risen.
The sunshine was calling us, so I took the dogs out into the yard. The thermometer on the deck said +12. Balmy for our recent weather. Out in the yard, by the garden boat where the sun is shining full on, it was almost hot. I had a sweatshirt on over my t-shirt and was very warm. We wandered about, enjoying the view. Mount Arrowsmith has new snow on the top, but the sky is Island blue, and the air is crystal clear. A gaggle of Canada Geese arrow over us, honking their way to feeding on the Canal. I pick up windfall apples and toss over the fence for the deer, carefully watching out for doggy mines. Fool me once...
Soon we are back indoors. I put more wood on the stove, then walk over to the bread machine to check the dough. HOLY....wow, it has risen right up so it's nose is pressed right against the glass of the machine! I quickly get a large Pyrex bowl and oil it, then remove the pan from the machine. Next I flour the counter top and soon have the dough ball in the bowl in a clear plastic bag rising again on the table. Oh my gosh but the dough smells and looks delightful! While working with it, I decide to try something I have seen mentioned on some bread baking blogs. I will divide the dough in half, then divide each half in quarters and will even scale the dough to be precise. Each piece of dough weighs in at 4oz and each of the 4oz mini loaves are then put into the prepared bread pan, like the 4th photo above, and then left to rise a third time - Active Dry yeast, remember - then baked. Can't wait to try it.
I think by now you have figured out that I am crazy about making and baking yeast breads of all kinds. Well, one of my all time favorite bread bakers and bread authors is Peter Reinhart. Crust and Crumb, and The Bread Baker's Apprentice are two of my favorite of his books. Recently on his Blog, he put out a request for applications from ordinary folk like me to test bread recipes for his new book. I immediately applied, not expecting to be accepted as I am in Canada and he is in the USA. Imagine my surprise upon checking my e-mail early last week and discovering I had been chosen as one of 300 testers!
I will post from time to time how I do with the recipe testing. The recipes of course are secret. I will be making this totally by hand, not using the bread machine to mix the dough, but I have my Kitchenaid Stand Mixer so can use that hopefully. Never the less, I cannot wait to get started. Bente and Richard will be so sick of eating bread by the time I am done. May have to send some with Bente down to Codfather Seafood for them to try too if I get too many loaves baked. Boy I am going to be learning so much from this. Crust and Crumb was the first book I borrowed from the library when I started my foray into serious bread baking a few years ago. It taught me a lot, and it got me hooked on bread formulas, and baker's math.
The Stuffing Bread is on it's third rise, and I am feeling slightly peckish. Surf the bread cupboard and discover a piece of the Cinnamon Swirl from yesterday hidden away. Slathered in butter it will make a delightful, albeit very sweet snack. I decide to make another one of those after the bread has risen, but this time I will try some dried cranberries in it and use less sugar when I make the topping. Sorry Bente but it really is too sweet. I want to try one with dried cherries and one with dried blueberries, and when I can find just the right apples, some with chopped apple as well. Hmmmm, I DID buy some dried apples at the store last week, maybe give them a try. Maybe dried cranberries and dried apples...
...I walk by the rising bread 10 minutes after I put it in the pans and it is really rising up. Will have to warn Kate about this when I send her the recipe to try. Her machine makes a maximum of 2 pound bread loaf so she will have to cut waaaaaaaay back on the yeast or it will push the lid of the bread maker up and escape out on to the counter. Attack of the killer bread dough!
Time for another foray out into the yard with the dogs. The sun has disappeared in preparation for the rain tonight I guess. We wander a bit, then stand looking at the scenery. For a few moments, it is absolutely quiet, no sounds of traffic from the road, only the croak of a distant tree frog and squawk of a Stellar Jay down on the Creek. I revel in it, but soon the outside world intrudes and we wander back indoors. Time to bake the Stuffing Bread and make some Cinnamon Swirl, with my modifications.
I almost feel like making some Brioche too. Maybe if I sit down and read a bit, the feeling will go away. I think I have done enough today. Richard will be home in 2 hours from work and I still have to finish the beef pie. Oh, wait a minute, hey, I know, not pie, well not like a pie in pie dough anyway. Shepherd's Pie!! That's what I'll make. Will thicken the broth on the filling with dehydrated potato flakes, make mashed potatoes for the top, a gravy for over that, then put it together and bake. Yup, that's settled.
Will let you know how the bread turns out. Both of them.
Oh, and, HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE!
It froze here last night. To you on the Prairies, that may not be such a big deal, but to me here on the Island, it is awful. We don't usually get frost until late November, early December so this frost is way too early. And it killed my tomato plants, sniff. Yes, yes, I know I was going to pull them anyway but gee, they look so sad all frozen and dead out there in the garden boat.
So I yanked them today, tossed them over the fence for the deer to eat. Now the front half of the boat is really empty. It's funny what freezes and what doesn't. Tomatoes of course, and that lone yellow zucchini that was stuck there in the middle of them; the purple basil; the top half of the marigolds; the pineapple sage; oh and that lone eggplant in amongst the petunias that I forgot was there and never bore fruit. But the petunias didn't flinch, still blooming their hearts out. As is the Lemon Thyme, the Echinacea, and the tiny White Chrysanthemums.
Over on the metal table by the house - the one that I only had a tarp big enough to cover half the plants, so had to sacrifice some - the zinnias froze and so did my one pot of tuberous begonias and impatiens, even though it was covered. OOOOPS. A large pot of fuchsias lost all its blossoms to frost but the plant is ok. And those 8 pots of lovely red impatiens? The ones sitting on the old barbecue stand, under the King apple tree? Froze right off...and the pot of red wax begonias sitting below it did too. Not a pretty sight.
Ooooh and that old wheelbarrow of mine, that I have had forever, the one that has so many holes in the bottom I had to cover it with plastic so it would hold the dirt for the plants. The one that has half of the plastic wheel missing on the front, that had been full of pretty impatiens and was sitting under the Gravenstein apple tree - yeah, that one - well, all the plants in it are frozen too.
Bente came over for a short visit this afternoon. I had called her and told her I had a pan of Cinnamon Bun Bread cooling on the counter. She called me a Bitz, I laughed and then she drove over for a cappuccino and a bite of bread. Needless to say, her Danish sweet tooth kicked in and she really enjoyed it. It's from a recipe I found online at Breadworld.com called Cinnamon Swirl. Really sweet, but really good, and really easy to make! By the time I thought to take a photo of it, it was mostly gone. Yes, it IS that good.
After she left, I took the dogs out in the yard, deactivated the doggy mines I could find and took some photo's of the sad looking garden boat and frozen plants. On my way back in I did my usual and wiped my feet on the old carpet on the deck outside the door. THANK GOD I DID. Somehow I missed deactivating a doggy mine, and in my photo taking mode I stepped right on one, exploding it all over the bottom of my shoe. AAAAARRRRGGGHH!
My shoes have this tread that is really deep and really hard to dig "stuff" out of. I made a triple scrunchy face and my eyes went real slitty, and yes, I DID say a swear. Then I scraped it off the rug on the deck, covered the "residue" with dirt, took my shoe out onto the grass across the drive and wiped as much off as possible. Then into the bathroom to wipe and dig with toothpicks to finish cleaning it, sigh. You would think I would learn to watch where I put my feet.
After dinner, the Cute Little Island Mule Deer came up into the yard as usual and the dogs went crazy with barking, as usual. And the deer ignored them, as usual. I watched them through the kitchen window for a while, then went into the livingroom to surf baking blogs and watch a bit of television. Love those reruns of NCIS.
The dogs settled on the back of the sofa, Rosie and Mason dosing and keeping an eye out for deer monsters. About 9pm, something caught my eye right outside the patio door, about 3 feet from where Mason was laying. It was a young, Cute Little Island Buck Mule Deer, with his eye on my Scarlet Geraniums. Mason twitched...Mason blinked...Mason shook his head in disbelief and then shot up off the sofa barking ferociously, throwing himself at the glass. The deer took Mason at his word and fled, rapidly. Mason trotted around, chest puffed out, tail wagging, proud of himself for chasing the monsters away. I laughed and praised him for being such a great guard dog.
But the Mole People got the last laugh on me. Before bed, I went out on the deck to get an apple from the plastic bins we have stored there and discovered 6 apples with tiny teeth marks. My eyes went slitty again, and I said two swears.
Of course, they HAD to nibble the six best apples in the bin.
One nibble out of each apple.
Oh well, the Cute Little Island Mule Deer will be pleased with their new apples. They're not put off by Mole People spit.
There's been no going outside to meander through the garden yard for a few days now. It's been cold and raining, scrunchy face. Don't get me wrong, we need the rain to fill the well up again, but, I had hoped to stretch fall out further, not go right to winter. We have already had two winter storms on the Island and they usually don't start until the middle of November. Siiiiggghh. No, I don't want some cheese with my whine, thanks.
These dreary damp days have even prompted me to ask Richard to start fires in the wood stove, to stave off the chill. The garden boat is soggy. When Kate was up we picked off all of the tomatoes with the exception of the Tumbling Toms and a few Brown Berries that weren't quite ready. One day during a lull in the rain, I coerced the dogs out into the yard and cut back my tomato plants. Yes, I know I should pull them completely, but I am not ready to go cold turkey yet on the garden cleanup. I really need to ease into it. Really.
I have a few plants I have to dug up, like my Lemon Scented Geranium which gave me so much pleasure this summer. Every time you walked by the scent of lemon wafted up to you. I think it deserves to be saved. A lot of the other herbs are hardy so I won't worry about them but I took cuttings of the Pineapple Sage to root, just in case it winter kills. It is such a magnificent plant, with a lovely true Pineapple scent.
Today I pulled the bean plants and tossed them over the fence for the deer. Then picked off the rest of the tiny tomatoes from Tumbling Tom. Got a surprising amount of them considering how nasty the weather has been. I know I have to pull the tomato plants and get rid of them, as well as the lone squash plant that sits in the middle of the boat, but, tomorrow will be soon enough for that. Like I said, ease into it.
It is sunny today, but cold, not going over +12. Five of the dogs came outside with me, but when I took the tomatoes in, the four girls ran back inside. Wimps! Mason and I stayed outdoors, me puttering around, him guarding me against bears, deer, bush bunnies and birds. My 10 pound Bichon Boy with the heart of a Pit Bull.
Richard and I moved a lot of my less hardy plants onto the deck a couple of days ago. They keep threatening us with frost and I need to get them moved into the house. That however will have to be eased into as Richard is not going to be happy when I explain that he has to move them for me. Some can stay under the shelter of the deck roof, I can cover them when frost threatens. But most will have to come indoors. At his suggestion, I picked my two lone Gladiola spikes that bloomed and put them in a jar on the cupboard. They are pretty, and when I dig up the corms I will be sure and mark the color on the bags.
Now I am thinking about next years garden, what to grow. I will definitely go with tomatoes: Yellow Mortgage Lifter, and if there is a red variety, one of those. Bull's Heart for sure, that is a wonderful, meaty, flavorful tomato. Definitely Brown Berry, Tumbling Tom and Black Prince. Oh and for sure Striped Cavern. Hope I can find some more Heritage varieties. We have to move the tomato garden to another container - the 300 gallon round stock tank is just the ticket and Richard will be moving it into the yard for me. I will cover it with heavy poly and then be able to plant them much earlier, keep them growing much later in the fall.
The old garden boat will still have it's herbs. Beans did well, so I probably will plant some more again, although if I can figure out a way to keep Mole People at bay, I would like to plant them over in my mini pea patch, smack up against the shed. Lots of shelter, good sunlight, wire to climb, yup, that's a great spot for them. So what to put in the garden boat.
Double Petunia's, they did great. Sweet Peas, the wire is already in place for them to climb. Marigolds from seed I have saved; will put them in the prow. I know that most flowers will grow in the boat, but would like to have some vegetable too. Hmmmmm. Onions did poorly, too wet. Squash would be ok, but they take up too much room. Hey, I bought some tiny pumpkins at the store the other day on clearance for a $1.00 a bag. I am going to save the seeds. Maybe a few of those, and get them to climb upwards. And peppers. The Jalapeno's that I planted did ok, not very productive until the end of the season but if I get them in earlier...yeah, pepper plants, that's what I'll do. Maybe a Habanero or two. Well, that's a good start.
It's Canadian Thanksgiving this weekend. I have a turkey in the freezer to cook, just not sure yet what day to do it. I love turkey and am looking forward to it. Have sweet potatoes to cook as well as Irish potatoes, need to make my Marshmallow Salad - my favorite - oh and Stuffing Bread to stuff the bird with and use for Turkey Sandwiches too. Darn, I am really getting hungry for Turkey. Oh, mustn't forget the fresh cranberry sauce either. Should I make Pumpkin Tiny Pies too? Maybe I will.
Ok, now I am REALLY hungry, time for dinner, then cover up the plants I didn't get moved yet with tarps. Supposed to be frosty again tonight.
Guess I'll go back inside after and whine some more.
Or maybe just make my stuffing bread.
It's bread baking day. I am awake early. The headache I have been fighting all week has me up at 7am, working hard to get rid of it. I use all the tricks I know, including acupressure, Myoflex, and Tim Horton's English Toffee Cappuccino mix - with a heaping teaspoon of instant coffee to boost the caffeine content - and finally after 2 hours, the headache eases. I hate resorting to drugs to get rid of my headache, so consequently I usually end up with a bad one because I delay the inevitable. This time I was lucky.
I have been out picking up windfall apples with the dogs when Kate comes outdoors with her morning coffee. "Need to get some things from the Dollar Store" she says. Those are magic words to me, I LOVE the Dollar Store.
As we finish up at the Dollar Store, she suggests getting an A&W burger and eating down at Victoria Quay, while watching the scenery. Two Sirloin Uncle Burgers with Cheese, extra pickles, later and we are enjoying the close-up view of the Alberni Inlet. Suddenly I spy what looks like a Harbor Seal in the water in front of us. This is not an unusual sight, the Inlet being salt water. Then Kate points and we see two large marine mammals frolicking in the middle of the water. "Are those Steller Sea Lions?" she asks.
We watch for a while and are convinced that they are in fact Stellers, Harbor Seals are smaller and have a much shorter muzzle. I have never known of Stellers so far up the Inlet. Finally I remember I have my camera with me, but by the time I get out to the edge of the water, the show is over and I only get glimpses of a face one or two times. Sigh, there I go with the camera thing again. In the two photo's above, the one on the left has the White Submarine Pipe sign with a seagull flying immediately to the left of it and directly down from it is a Sea Lion face. The other one has a face directly in the middle of the photo.
Back home, and with a bit of direction from me, Kate sets to work organizing herself to bake her bread and soon has Pumpernickel rising on the table. I meanwhile am going to BBQ some pork baby back ribs and bake some potatoes for our dinner tonight. We check on the ribs a half hour after they begin to grill, on our way to pick all the tomatoes in the Garden Boat. They look and smell divine. A while later, as we pass my Outdoor Gas Oven on our way in the house with the picked tomatoes, I discover it has run out of propane, which means I have to rescue the ribs and put them in the oven to finish. AAAARRRGGH!
Finally dinner has finished cooking and Kate's Pumpernickel is in the oven baking as we eat. The ribs were delish, as was the potatoes, fresh picked tomatoes and corn on the cob. Her bread of course turned out wonderful. It is the first bread photo at the top of the page. As it set cooling on the cupboard, she began to gather her ingredients for her next loaves of bread, the Cheesey Cheese. With a tip here and there from me, it too is soon rising on the table.
The scent of her Cheesey Cheese bread baking is mouth watering. The air is redolent with the Tex/Mex cheese, onions and parsley. I definitely will be making this one tomorrow. The photo's of this bread are the rising dough in the bread machine and then the baked dough, with the cheese melted on top of one of the loaves.
It's been a long day, and for once Kate doesn't have to leave as soon as she gets up in the morning. She still has one more batch of bread to make before going home. We're off to bed.
At least I don't wake up with a headache on Thursday. Kate is up and is starting to mix up the Brioche dough she wants to bake. This is one of my favorite recipes, one that I found online. While only using 2 cups of flour, you still end up with two lovely loaves of bread from the recipe because of the eggs and yeast. It is rich and buttery and is the last photo in the bread series above. Soon she has them cooling on the cupboard as she prepares to load up her RAV 4 prior to heading home.
Hugs all around and she is off to the farm at Sidney, the dogs giving her a farewell howl. It is going to be too quiet here now that she has gone home. Can't wait for next time, and our ABM Chef Bakeoffs.
Hmmmmm, maybe I'll start a cooking blog, encourage family members to bake/cook and post to it. Sounds like a plan. If I can get anyone other than Kate and me to do it, that is. Hey Kel, how about you, Mr. Baker Man. You willing to give it a try?
Oh, and my Cheesey Cheese Bread is unbelievably delicious. You must try it, make it at home. I am hooked and so glad she decided to alter the recipe. Kate's Tex/Mex Cheese Bread it is.
And why do I bother. News is all about elections, bailouts and the price of oil. And what has the Food Network done with Anna Olson?!!! Harrumph.
In the kitchen, we admire Kate's first ever homemade loaf of bread. It is a thing of beauty, tastes divine, and is an Orange and dried Cranberry yeast bread, baked in the machine.
Kate and I wander off to the stores and thrift shops. First stop is Alberni Health Market for Rye flour, Spelt Flour and caraway seed - she wants to make Pumpernickel bread. Then off to Port Thrift where she finds a really nice winter jacket for herself and a Tapestry foot stool for me. At the Sally Ann store, I locate eleven half-gallon canning jars for 50 cents each, a large kettle to set on the wood stove as a humidifier for a dollar and a great bake set that has 6 small angel food type pans for $2.99. JACKPOT.
Our next stop is accidental. As we drive past a second hand store on the way out to Walmart, Kate points at it and mentions she has always wanted to stop there. Of course, I turn around and go back. Great store, tons of stuff and I find a Dr. Oetker tart pan for 50 cents and a 6 cup muffin tin for the same. I am on a roll. Then we shop for ingredients at Extra Foods and Walmart and go home for dinner.
Our plan is to wait until tomorrow to make bread, so after dinner we go out to check the boat garden and pick up windfall apples. We also make plans to pick all the tomatoes tomorrow as well. Across the yard, I hear a ribbit-ribbbiiittttt from the Birch tree. And a reply from behind us in the Cherry trees. Ah yes, Tree Frog mating season has arrived. Off in the distance we can hear more tiny Tree Frogs ribbitting their songs of love.
It reminds me of when we first moved here and had no screens on our windows. Tree Frogs took up residence outside our bathroom window, and if we forgot to close it, we would be accosted by the tiny creatures every time we went into the room. Once while washing my hair in the sink, one crawled out of the overflow almost onto my face. And another time, one got so startled when Kate walked into the room, it jumped off the wall and hit her in the chest. I don't know who screamed louder!
Back inside, we peruse bread baking books. For Christmas, she had shopped at a second hand book store and got me 3 wonderful used bread making books. To me, getting a second hand book - whether buying it myself or receiving it as a gift - is one of my all time favorite things. Just to know that someone else had this book, used it, loved it, makes me cherish it even more. And Kate found 3 winners. We perused and discussed the merits of different recipes and she copied some into her Kitchen Journal to try when she goes home. Then she picks a couple of recipes to try the next day.
Her first choice is Pumpernickel, and I give her my favorite recipe. Her second choice is one from her ABM book, Cheesey Cheese Bread. It calls for Cottage Cheese, Grated Swiss, and Grated Parmesan, but she decides to change it by replacing the Swiss and Parmesan with Kraft Tex/Mex Shredded Cheese. Can't wait to see how that turns out.
Time for bed, it has been a long day.
Outside my window, I hear the Tree Frog love chorus and smile.
Froggy's still courtin'.
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