Red stuff

I've been learning to enjoy red ales -- today the Leinenkugel's version -- especially when they are malty and not very hoppy, and very, very cold.

This comes while Boise bound and happy to have a variety of family members join us there across the next days.

When Patricia and I married, mixed into the love we felt for each other was the love we have for the larger family that surrounds us, believing that we would have abundant opportunity to gather in all sorts of wonderful configurations, mixing us all together, creating memories, enjoying good food, conversations, recreation, side by side work, play and lounging around.

These past weeks brought and will bring that that in abundance

• Luke graduating from college in Chattanooga-- with Sophie (Josh's girlfriend) and Larry and Jan Brinkman joining Joshua and I.

• Joshua's graduation reception with my sister, Gina, and her family coming by, followed by the graduation itself where a whole passel of Brinkman's, my brother, Eric, and my daughter and her husband coming to celebrate with us.

• My nephew Izzy's graduation reception in Elkhart County, Indiana where I am related to every third person ever born there.
• And, this coming weekend in Boise, of course, where Charlie, Dawn, Delaney,  and Anne will join us.  This is followed by a Sheboygan weekend where we expect Carol, Joshua and Patricia's running partner, Karen Koch, to enjoy fellowship with my first wife Lorie's parents and my daughter Autumn and husband Alex. It is even possible there may be some Wisconsin grandchildren sightings!

There is so much more of this to come.

Definitions and Feats

We are both in Indiana at the moment, a rare thing this summer. Mark is doing his virtual appointments virtuously, and I am playing with photos before buckling down to bills.
Knuckling down?

We have a nice 84 degrees - nice after the 96 of Sunday. Ack.

Humidity is 58%, thunderstorms likely this afternoon.

Big swirlie headed our way!

We have a small bird, perhaps a nuthatch, that has built a nest inside a vertical pipe...can you see it on top of the laundry pole? (the pipe, not the bird)? It flies in and out all day. I have so far resisted sticking my face over it to peer in and possible frighten the little ones.



healthy breakfast?


yogurt, granola (best homemade!), lotsa berries, almond milk

and whipped cream

Mark's started with a piece of shortcake. Just sayin'.
I'm not sure it's really any different in fat/sugar content than granola!

Typo

I was googling something and accidentally typed "nortification" instead of notification.

Is that what this means? (Charlie's pic from Iceland)

Mark the Mostest

Mark discovered Swiss Oats in the past months...known as musli to some (indeed Swiss German and made better by North American love of creaminess) or overnight oats.

equal parts whole rolled oats, yogurt, and almond milk, in the fridge anywhere from 4 hours to 3 days

I added some chia seeds, because I like the tapioca-ness.

Scooped it out of the jar, topped it with walnuts, pumpkin seeds, blackberries, blueberries, apple, and maple syrup.

It is making a happy pause in the outdoor work of the morning: clearing brush, digging fence posts out, push-mowing over other brush, scrubbing the front deck railings. Almost ready to get back at it - one more blackberry....

Secret Ingredient

Lemon-infused white balsamic vinegar!

I could almost drink it. I have, on occasion, licked my finger after wiping the drip from the top of the bottle....
The peach is also good - but the lemon is stellar.

On arugula after olive oil, salt, and maybe chevre. Or Parmesan.

The best thing I've done so far is put it in a lemon salad dressing. I've been eating this pasta salad ALL WEEK, and haven't gotten tired of it yet. Lemon-marinated and pan-fried chicken, then basil and pasta and whatever onions and kale or other greens.

Then this dressing.

juice of one juicy lemon
salt and peppa
garlic powder
1/2-1 tsp Dijon
olive oil to desired consistency

this was good by itself, but not as flavorful as I wanted

1 tsp or so Magic Secret Ingredient

yum

Working Backwards

I drank coffee for the first real time this week. I drove from Wisconsin to Memphis (9-10 hours) last Wednesday and felt the need...and the only option for "cream" in the coffee was powdered corn syrup. So black it was. I rolled it around like Charlie does wine - and started to really enjoy it! I'll have to use one of our French presses for a bit and then try your Italian machine, to taste the difference. The only trouble is, I can't drink a whole mug of caffeinated coffee! I'd be a mess. And the decaff seems thin...I'll keep sipping and trying.

It's Saturday here in Yorktown, where I have not been for what feels like a long time!  I arrived home Friday afternoon, after a few days in Memphis for Erin's graduation and a few days before that in Wisconsin, with Mark as he Convened. Before that, I don't remember!

Joshua and Sophie have been using the broiler to warm up leftover baconated potato skins (from his open house last weekend), so he taught me a thing or two. And then I learned - and let him know - that parchment paper is NOT the best thing to have right under a hot broiler! Foil, next time. It did not go up in flames, and the skins were cheesy and bubbly and excellent with the lemon & parsley chicken. I'm pretty sure this is the first thing I've cooked in a couple of weeks, besides scrambled eggs.

Mid-morning, I went to my favorite place (Menards) to pick up trim and crown moulding for some finishing touches in the house. Then off to Meijer for basics: DOUGHNUTS, conditioner - and dryer sheets. Except that I discovered non-sheets. Wool balls! They soften the clothing with all- naturalness. My favorite discovery of the day.


The morning started early with a run (with Karen), including 10 minutes of a downpour. May has become summer this week, with mugginess and pop-ups moving through. Skies have been dark, then light, pouring, then misty clear. It feels like a jungle over here! I expect fireflies any time.

And my favorite pic from Hallie's ultrasound adventures: Twin B!



Saturday is what it was.

Habit-forming

I love the routine of making a cup of something warm in the morning; more often than not it's herbal tea but in the last few months I have inadvertently become QUITE the coffee snob!! (For the record, I am a decaf drinker...none of that hard stuff for me!)

I like a solid cup of coffee - not too acidic, full-bodied... I had been a diehard french presser, for that reason, after a million years of drinking weak but passable coffee in an auto-dripper (mostly for the convenience of the system and also out of ignorance) but my beloved french press has been relegated to the cupboard as of late! 

After much research, I decided one day to shelve my electric coffee grinder and got a low-end hand grinder ... and at the same time I moved from the french press to a Chemex, again because of the taste AND I loved the simplicity and artsy aspect of it. To me, Chemex makes a good cup of coffee, but it's a little on the weak side for my taste. A few weeks after that, I ran across this article on The Smitten Kitchen website about Americanos - my favorite coffee drink.  

So off I went to buy THIS:

This is a good old fashioned stovetop moka pot.  This is a pic of mine, making this morning's coffee. So simple, and mechanically a cool little machine (the Italians' design standards are always top notch!)  The moka pot has been putting the world's espressos out since the beginning of time practically. It doesn't work with an electric stove, but I haven't had one of those... ever?  At least not since living at home with the parental units!

The coffee it makes is strong and slightly acidic, and the time it takes to fully brew is jusssst about the time needed to make this:

Warm cream of brown rice cereal with a blob of peanut butter, a spoonful of mom's Marionberry jam and a little honey. By the way, did you know a Marionberry is actually a special blackberry created by a USDA program at Oregon State U - it's a cross between an Olallieberry and Chehalem blackberry!  Who knew ..! 

I shall now commence to feeding my addictions, haha!

HAVE A GREAT WEDNESDAY!