Thoughts of Spring

 

 I know many are still dealing with winter weather and snow but  thoughts of Spring are surely in our minds.  We are currently having colder nights that any so far this season but the only snow we've seen was a skiff one morning this week.
I got my little seed chest out of the garden shed and brought it onto the porch so I could take stock of what I need to buy ....which is mainly flowers because we have too much shade for vegetables to do well.  I will grow beans again and choose the sunniest spot for them.

 

 Eldest Daughter came for lunch and brought me a bloom from one of her hellebores ( along with a sweet painting of the same).

 

It's clear and sunny this morning. 0C when I first looked but now the temperature has risen slightly. 

I have done a load of laundry that didn't get done on Monday.  The plan for my day is....bake bread and make a pot of Black Bean soup with any other vegetables I find in the fridge. Also today I have to make up a grocery list based on what our local stores have on sale.

PS .......Did you have pancakes yesterday in honour of Pancake Tuesday?  I made crepes and I paid attention to how I am able to swirl the batter around in spite of the weight of the cast iron pan. 
I hardly lift it up, I just tilt it around and that seems to work just fine. 

Thanks for coming by

 

 

Sweets

 

 Here it is Monday morning again although it's not quite a regular Monday morning. It's a day off for the employed and it is called Family Day. It doesn't make a lot of difference to those of us who are retired.

It was a lovely weekend filled with family and a lot of cake!  One of the cakes was a traditional German cake called Bienenstich. It consists of layers with a wonderful cream filling. A picture from the 'net.

 Bienenstich Kuchen, a German delight, also known as Bee Sting Cake. Carmelized honey almonds on top, cream filling with a yeast rise dough cake that is firm and not sweet, kind of like cream puff dough is a pastry but not sweet.   ( I find the filling very sweet!) ( This cake was bought at a German cafe).

 Some of the chocolate hearts that I made.

 

Recipe for Easy Fudge

2 1/2 to 3 cups of chocolate chips ( depending on how firm you want the fudge. I used 3 cups)
1 can of condensed milk 
 1 tsp vanilla ( I forgot to add it)

The directions are simple. Using parchment paper in your pan makes it easy to lift out once it has hardened.Add the chocolate chips, condensed milk, and vanilla extract to a microwave-safe bowl.

 Microwave for 1 1/2 – 2 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds, until completely smooth.

Pour the fudge into your prepared baking pan. Smooth out the top with a spatula. Let cool completely.  *****     *****  *****   *****   ****    About my cast iron frying pans...I have 2 that are 12" in diameter and I keep one for savoury and the other for sweet ( such as crepes and also Dutch Baby). In case anyone wants to know about Dutch Babies I'll post this from the All Recipes site.   A Dutch baby is a cross between a pancake and a popover. It’s similar to a large Yorkshire pudding. Unlike other types of pancakes, Dutch babies are baked in the oven instead of fried on the stove. They also don’t contain leaving ingredients, such as baking powder or baking soda.   The ingredients and directions are on that site. I wish I knew how to insert a link but I don't.
One change that I've made to the recipe is to sautee sliced apples in the pan before adding the egg/milk mixture.  As it bakes it puffs up but like a souffle it will fall once out of the oven.  We find it very tasty!!

again....the picture is from the internet That's it for this damp and grey day.  Thanks for visiting.    

   

   

 

Happy Friday💖

 

 Happy Friday!!  It is still raining like it wants to make up for the three days when it didn't rain.  We won't complain because it could be worse, it could be snow!

We did our usual Thursday grocery shopping. We always go early before the store gets crowded and we had a pleasant surprise when  we got there. We were not aware that the first hundred (?) customers received a free cast iron frying pan . This was to celebrate the end of the dreaded rearrangement of the store when no one knew where anything was.  So now I have 3 cast iron pans. One is only used for things like crepes and is never washed. I hope that doesn't dismay anyone but the best way to treat it is to wipe it well with a paper towel after using. Nothing ever sticks to it. Here's the new one.

A pretty miniature rose jumped into my cart while I was shopping💗
 

Likewise some miniature daffodils just starting to open as well as some Hyacinths. My cart seems like a magnet for plants :)
The little shrub is a Lemon Cypress which I'll keep on the porch.

 In the kitchen .......I made a batch of fudge. The recipe that calls for a can of condensed milk and 3 cups of chocolate chips. Absolutely foolproof fudge. I poured a thin layer on parchment and hope to be able to make little hearts with a cookie cutter. I hope it works but if it doesn't,  the fudge will still be tasty.

Thanks for visiting today

 One last Valentine..... 

 

 

Tuesday Trivia

 I dropped in at the Dollar Store yesterday and couldn't resist this cute tea towel. I warned my guys not to dry their hands on it. haha

Here's some information that I found on the 'net about birds that mate for life, in this case it was mostly about Eagles.  With Valentine's Day and Love in the air even birds are affected. We think. 

 Spring marks the beginning of mating season for many wildlife species with many seeking their mate – and for some bird species, it’s a lifelong choice. Birds like the bald eagle, barn owl, Canada goose and trumpeter swan all seek a partner for the long haul.   


Bald eagles, which live up to 20 years, grow old together – returning to the same nest site year after year – building impressive, massive nests deep and wide enough to fit the large adult birds and growing eaglets. The ever-growing nest is a symbol of their strong partnership. 


Watching an eagle courtship display is equal parts awe-inspiring and nerve-wracking. To impress each other, the male and female soar high into the air, then engage in a stunning display of locking talons and spiraling dramatically toward the ground. Sometimes, this can even result in injury. 
“This may have been the case for one bald eagle that was admitted to Wild ARC. We’re not sure if they were in a territory dispute with a rival, or a courtship display with a potential mate, but their injuries were consistent with a crash landing,” the agency said.

 

Thanks for coming by. Thanks also to those who leave a comment. IF you are kind enough to do so could you please somehow identify yourself? Even an initial or a nickname makes it more meaningful. 

Monday Chit Chat

 

 

 Good Morning on this damp February day.  Valentine's Day is coming up and although we hardly make any fuss about it it also happens to be #2 son's birthday. We will celebrate that.

A recent trip to the thrift store yielded a few small treasures.  A set of home made mug rugs which I soon found had lumpy filling that kept my cup from sitting solidly. I carefully opened one side and shook out whatever was in there. No doubt it used to be scented and the heat from any cup would activate it.  Now that they are flat I'll use them all year 'round since they are reversible ( Christmas/winter and plain check).

 

It was a sunny day on Saturday and Kitty found a lovely spot to absorb the warmth of the roof. This is one of her favourite spots....near the kitchen window where she can watch me as I putter about.

 By now the washer has finished the load of sheets so I'll see if I can manage to untangle them enough so I can take them out. The washer does do a good job of winding them together :(

I hope your week is off to a good start.    Thanks for coming by.

 

 

Answering Some Questions

 

 

 I started this post much earlier but life has a way of happening and now it's past 11 o'clock. 
It's a beautiful sunny morning, unfortunately the last of a short stretch of mostly sunny days. I have been able to putter happily in the garden. Crocus are blooming as are my few snowdrops. The latter don't do so well in my garden. Maybe it's the soil, I don't really know.
I was careful not to overdo the bending and have so far escaped any back issues :)

 

I thought I'd answer some questions that I received after my post about The Comfort of Crows.

Karen wondered if I enjoyed the book.... I did. It really would be better to read the pertinent chapter as the year unfolded.  ( The book is written as 52 chapters that follow the seasons).

Dianna wondered if the book expounded on different birds. .. To some extent the author did write about the birds she observed in her garden as well as all the changes that each week brought.  It definitely was not boring but neither was it exciting. I know that's not very helpful, is it!!

Gretchen Joanna asked if I would change anything in my garden after reading the book. Actually I feel much better about the messy areas especially in the very back because  they give protection to some  birds and even mice. The problem is Kitty who patrols the area.

Lastly Faith wanted to know if I made my suet or bought it. I don't like the idea of  rendering the animal fat. And, the truth is that  I'm too lazy to bother. So I buy it.

If you're still here I thank you for coming by.  I hope your Friday is ( or was, if that's the case) a very pleasant day.   GM

 

 

My Day

 

 It was a pleasant day with mostly sunny skies. I puttered outside in the garden, pulling out chickweed that was already in bloom. I must keep the blooms from developing into seeds. I always have so much chickweed. 

Later, sitting in the sunroom we watched the Bushtits at the suet. It hangs close to the window and we have a birds eye view. 

 I read my library book which is due tomorrow. I've enjoyed this book and I'm sorry to have to rush a bit to finish it.  I suppose I could renew it but there are at least 4 more books that I requested waiting for me.

 

 

I baked a cake . I forgot the half cup of oil that the recipe called for,  and the cake is rather dry but still very edible.  When I took the glass pan out of the oven and set it on the cooling rack it suddenly and very noisily exploded into many pieces. Fortunately they flew far and wide and NOT onto the cake!!  I've had that pan for a very long time and never expected this but I suppose eventually they break. 

 

That was my day. Thanks for coming by!