Muffins

Baking passes the time. I'm waiting for my sisters to get from Boise to Moscow, and so I baked them muffins! My dream of perfect blueberry muffins did not pan out, but I expected that. What I did not expect was that my topping would sink! But I guess I should've know better. . . that leftover wine should have stayed in the bottle until tomorrow night!

These are frozen. Soon, summer. Soon.

Is pastry flour worth it? Mmm. . . I'm just a peasant.  I can't tell the difference!

I nearly ate this with a spoon. . . But I had a dream. A dream of a sweet, sticky muffin that was dense and light at the same time. A magic muffin. So I just licked the spoon. (As you can see, this batter is nowhere near as thick as the 'glue-like consistency' that those fancy cooks hold up as your muffin Mecca). 

Hmm. That Strussel topping looks good. Maybe too good?

*SOB* Where'd my topping go?! I sure miss it. . .On the plus side, however, there is a nice crunchy top on my muffins, sort of what I always thought a brulee topping would be like. So it was not a total loss. Next time, I should probably follow the recipe more closely. . . I used about 5 times the amount of butter needed! Me and my butter lust. . .

Ah, muffin! You were worth it! Even if you are basically a fruity cupcake.

Ham Night

We are alone on the ocean known as the Palouse, and danger lurks behind every wheat field and coffee shop. The life of an Alaskan Pirate is not easy. But we hold fast to the simple comforts in life, the little things that reaffirm our places in the universe. Things like: Ham Night. 

Ham Night included cheesy garlic potatoes and stir-fried asparagus. 

The ham was huge. . .promising many mini-ham nights to come. Also, there's the
crazy-good sweet and sour sauce that comes in a can at Winco. The brand is Contadina
and it has chunky pineapple in it. I can see me pouring this on a vast array of things in the future!

It was a shame when I realized that I had forgotten what a clock sounded like. It's a very steadying sound. But I don't need a clock to tell me that it's Spring! Sunshine is presenting itself at 7 am again, and I can finally be excited to get out of bed.

Just Waiting

Tirzah's Cup is waiting for her.

Spring was in the air today! Now that I have a spiffy new camera, I feel obligated to get out there and find things to photograph. So, I hope I captured a little of the spring-like qualities of the day here in Moscow, Idaho.

Snowdrops in East City Park

Pussywillows on the banks of Paradise Creek - which is probably a fifth of the size of Campbell Creek back home, so I have a hard time acknowledging it as a creek at all!

This Mourning Dove was obviously of the opinion that he was King of the pine grove. 

There is a huge field across the creek, and I always say 'hi' to my cow-buddy! There are some horses in the field as well, but they aren't so good for conversation.

Just some Canadian Geese in the pasture.

Acts 14:17

Nevertheless, He did not leave himself without witness, in that He did good, gave us rain from heaven and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness.

An Adventure Of Scones -

Inspired by some young fellow Redwall fans, I decided to make scones to send with Rebekah for teatime at school tomorrow! I have recently been going through a wonderful book that I found at the Hope Center: Having Tea, by Tricia Foley. To be honest, I've never found a more comforting or inspirational cookbook! So, I tried the recipe for buttermilk scones, to which I added about half a cup of currents, because that seemed like a Friar Hugo thing to do!

Alchemy at work!

A scone, in it's pre-pastry form

A fully formed scone, baked to perfection, and ready for tea.

Actually, these didn't turn out as sweet as I wanted. Next time I'll add more sugar and try dates instead of currents. Still, a successful scone is nothing to be sorry about. I hope these last long enough for Rebekah to get them to school. . .

Norther Flicker

Northern Flicker

Trying out my new camera Saturday afternoon. He was obliging enough to root around for ants across the water. Needless to say, I love my zoom.