Monday, Monday - Apple Honey Mustard Roast Pork Loin

You can thank The Mamas and the Papas for today's ear worm.  If you are old like me, nothing screams the 60's like their four part harmony, except possibly extra wide bell bottoms and platform shoes. 

Monday, Monday

Can't trust that day
Monday, Monday
Sometimes it just turns out that way

Oh, Monday morning you gave me no warning
Of what was to be
Oh, Monday, Monday
How could you leave and not take me ...

But whenever Monday comes
You can find me crying all of the time

Flowers outside the Florida Radiology building.  Of course they are pink!

Monday, Day 34 - I hate to give up my fine parking spot outside Florida Radiology, but I'm waiting on some CDs to be burned, which is going to take a little while, and I really do need another cup of coffee.  The lot was practically empty when I got here just an hour ago; now, it's filled up all the way to left field.  Minor inconvenience standing between me and my coffee.

Chelsea, hating her new shirt

I am finding it just a tad overwhelming to have medical appointments of one sort or another, every day this week. Last week I "only" had them four out of five.  And did I mention that every single one has been way outside of my home zone? How do other people do it?  What well of strength do they draw from, that I seem to be lacking?

When I feel sorry for myself, I go shopping - food shopping, that is, and that's how I found myself at the Winter Park Whole Foods this morning.  You can't tell me it's not therapeutic to stroll up and down aisles where almost everything is marked "organic".  I know I feel better for having gone there, and it only cost me $9.32 for steel cut oats, Bob's wheat bran (I don't know Bob, but I like his products), zante currants, and Popchips brand sweet potato chips.  That's a lot less than a therapy session, although I have to go to one of those this week as well.

Feeling lower than Chris Christie's poll numbers, I finished at Whole Foods and then struck off on a trip to nowhere.  I missed the easy exit to I-4 and kept going, exploring roads and locations that were hardly known to me.  I love to explore, and the day started to shape up the way I like it, finishing with yet another food shopping foray inside Publix.  If it wasn't for my back trying to crack in two, I'd say it was a pretty damn fine day.

Orchids and Hydrangea at Whole Foods

I want to Talk Pork with you today. First of all, it's a good thing I don't keep kosher, because pork is still affordable, unlike beef, lamb, and veal. Second, the best deal on pork is a honking huge boneless pork loin, in cryovac, from BJs warehouse.  I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that Costco and Sam's Club likely carry the same hunk of porcine glory in their meat case.  They run between nine and twelve pounds and every single ounce of it is edible.

Last time I bought one of these, I divided it into thirds, used one piece and froze the other two, but before freezing them, I seasoned them rather well and swaddled them in aluminum foil.  One was seasoned with my mild Jamaican jolt spice blend while the other got showered with garlic salt and lemon pepper.  Just as I feel secure in the knowledge that one cannot starve with a drawer full of sliced cheeses, it satisfies my balaboostah's soul to see hunks of meat - pork loin, pillow packs of chicken thighs, eye round roasts - tucked into deep freeze.  One could survive a zombie apocalypse with such provisions at hand, assuming your living dead next door neighbor had not destroyed the local electrical grid.  In that worst case scenario, throw the frozen protein projectile at the marauding zombies, grab a couple of cheese sandwiches, and run like hell.

Because I need to do some serious advance cooking for this week and next, I pulled the garlic salt and lemon pepper loin out of the freezer, and thought I would figure out a recipe by the time it defrosted.  I did, and I have it on good authority that the flavor combination rocks.

Apple Honey Mustard Roast Pork Loin

1 - 3 pound piece of boneless pork loin
Garlic salt
Lemon pepper
5.5 oz. can apple juice
1 bottle Ken's Steakhouse Honey Mustard Dressing
kosher salt, black pepper, granulated garlic
Raging River Five Pepper blend or cayenne pepper, to taste

Season the pork with the garlic salt and lemon pepper.  Refrigerate several hours or overnight.   Heat a heavy skillet on medium high; sear the pork roast on all sides.  Remove to a baking dish into which the apple juice has been poured.  Cover with aluminum foil, then place into a preheated 350 degree oven for 30 minutes.  Remove the foil and squeeze or pour on enough of the honey mustard dressing to coat the pork loin. Use a fork or flat wire whisk to incorporate any honey mustard that has dripped dow, into the apple juice in the pan.  Return to the oven, uncovered, for 30 minutes.

Remove the pan from the oven, and with tongs, carefully move the pork to another dish. Increase the oven temperature to 375 degrees. Whisk the cooking liquid until well-combined.  Taste and adjust seasoning with the salt, pepper, granulated garlic, and Raging River.  Place the pork back into the pan, and baste with the cooking liquid.  Finish cooking the pork for 10 to 20 minutes, basting twice more, and until the internal temperature reaches 145 to 150 degrees.  Let rest before carving.  Slice into fairly thin slices, and pour the sauce over the slices.

The Sleep of Reason - Little Ears Alfredo

Sunday - What the hell??  I woke up at 3:00 this morning and never got back to sleep.  I finally gave up just before 6:00, came downstairs and started to prepare breakfast.  Bacon in the oven, eggs poaching in the oven, and the griddler is fitted with the waffle plates, coated with nonstick spray, and ready to be heated for the Krispy Kreme doughnut French toast.  Yes, Krispy Kreme. Don't knock it till you try it. Then I "repurposed" the burnt ends from Jimmy Bear's, and finally felt tired enough to go back to sleep.

One problem - it is now 9:47 in the morning, and heading back to bed is not an option, at least not a good one, so I may as well go back to cooking.  Although I have officially dropped chicken as a menu item (keeping in mind that there are several pieces of citrus jalapeño chicken sitting in the leftover zone), I still have a fairly substantial list of mains and sides in the preparation queue.

I cannot lie - I hurt today, all over.  Too much time on my feet cooking, too much time spent walking all over BJs warehouse, too much time living inside my head.  Very bad neighborhood. There's a bit of fuzz between my ears, just enough to cloud my train of thought. It's weird though, that my head can still be sharp enough to develop recipes - almost like that part of my brain is on automatic.

So it is from that place that this recipe sprang.  I had been wanting to use the last of my Tiny Turkey Meatballs in something other than a red sauce.  This worked even better than expected.  I use bottled tomato sauces quite a bit, and they are mostly pretty good, but I never found a bottled Alfredo sauce that suited my palate until I tried Publix Premium after comparing the list of ingredients with other brands.                                    

The name of the dish has nothing to do with corn, ears, little or otherwise, nor is it the name of a recently uncovered, previously unknown Van Gogh painting, nor the nickname of a character from "The Sopranos".  I asked Cory to pick the appropriate pasta to go with the finished sauce, and once he saw the box of orecchiette, it was a done deal.  Orecchiette is Italian for "little ears' and Alfredo is the gentleman who invented the well-known pasta sauce that forms the basis of the dish.  I know, I like the Van Gogh story myself.  Sorry.

This recipe presupposes that you made a big batch of Tiny Turkey Meatballs back in November and froze them for future dishes.  If you didn't, this might be a good time to do so, because these little meatballs are positively versatile.

Little Ears Alfredo

6-8 oz. cooked Tiny Turkey Meatballs (about 16 tiny meatballs)
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1/2 onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, smashed
Kosher salt, ground black pepper, Emeril's Essence
4 thin slices capacollo, sliced into thin strips
1-15 oz. jar Publix creamy Alfredo pasta sauce
1-14oz. can Cento quartered artichoke hearts, rinsed and well-drained
1/2 tablespoon herbes de provence
pinch crushed red pepper (flakes)
ground black pepper
1 1/2 cup dry orecchiette pasta, cooked according to package directions
1/4 cup half-and-half, and as needed
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan, or more to taste
2 tablespoons grated Romano

In a large skillet, heat the butter and oil; add the onion and garlic, and season with the salt, pepper and Essence.  Sauté for a few minutes, then add the capacollo.  Sauté another 2 minutes, add the meatballs, and stir together.  Pour in the Alfredo sauce, and stir in the artichoke.  Season with the herbes de provence, red pepper, and more black pepper.  Cover and simmer for 15 minutes.  Stir in the half-and half.  Fold in the cooked pasta.  Taste and  adjust seasonings.

Transfer to a baking dish, and top with the Parmesan and Romano.  You can refrigerate it at this point, or bake, covered, in a 350 degree oven for 30 to 45 minutes until heated through.  If starting to heat it after refrigeration, drizzle in a couple of tablespoons of half-and-half, and bake for 1 to 1 1/4 hours.

Huevos "Abogado" - Guacamole Devilled Eggs

Saturday - Let's see if I can pull myself back together.  The second cuppa coffee almost always helps, but the best thing this morning was a snuggle with my little lover, Romeo.  I'm also looking forward to our dinner with friends at our favorite Korean restauarant (outside of Korea, that is).

If you are feeling less-than-fine, go to your happy place, or borrow one of mine

And then I started giving some serious thought to cooking, and my mood began to climb even more.  We have pretty much worked our way through any prepared dishes, so under any circumstances I would be cooking, but Rob and I are leaving on our cruise a week from today, and that means I am going to want to leave Cory with plenty of choices for the following week as well.

Now it is absolutely true that Cory is perfectly capable of cooking for himself, or even a girlfriend.  He likes to cook, which I find rather gratifying. But I find it even more gratifying to cook for him and his dad.  It's what I do. It's what I did today, with tiny turkey meatballs, capocollo, and other good stuff, to create a sauce for pasta.  It's also what I did with a lonesome avocado and a couple of hard-boiled eggs.

Our dinner at Seoul Garden in Maitland was even better than expected. Our friends loved it as well.  A Korean dinner table is always a work of art because of the little plates of side dishes that accompany every meal. That can include a couple of different kimchi, tofu, bean sprouts, pickled daikon radish, and on and on.  Besides the banchan (side dishes), we enjoyed what seemed to be an endless variety of Korean specialties like japchae, bimimbap, galbi, bulgogi, and mandu.

I can cook several Korean dishes and with all modesty, they come out pretty darn good.  I don't make my own napa cabbage kimchee - I don't even eat the stuff - but I make sure that there is always a jar of the good stuff in the refrigerator,  Cory is shameless about eating kimchee with kielbasa, which I suppose isn't all that different than my combining kielbasa and sauerkraut - except my dish is finished in a rich sauce of sour cream, while the kimchee contains enough Korean red pepper flakes, unlike any other red pepper I've used in cooking, to blow off the top of your head and send it spiraling upwards towards the International Space Station. Cayenne pepper is a pale cousin to the Korean stuff.  Since I'm no chili head, I'll just leave the kimchee-making, and eating, to other, braver souls with cast iron palates.

We over-ordered with complete abandon, resulting in a ridiculous amount of leftovers, so much that I have revised my cooking plans for the upcoming week.  Well, just slightly, mind you.  I won't be cooking any sort of chicken.  Not that I think anyone will notice.

Back in the day, when I did a lot more entertaining, I served a lot of homemade guacamole and trays of devilled eggs.  My guests never seemed to tire of these, nor of the barbecue smokies I threw into the crockpot.  I don't know if these appetizers fell under 50's or 80's kitsch, and I don't think anyone cared.

Recently I came across a recipe for avocado devilled eggs which seriously grabbed my interest. The best of both worlds you might say. Super-kitsch! I went so far as to pick up a Hass avocado and set it on the kitchen counter to ripen some more. Then I got side-tracked running to doctors and labs, and when I finally had time to prepare the eggs, I had misplaced the recipe.

This recipe is better than the one I lost.  I based it on my favorite guacamole recipe, making a few adjustments to accommodate the addition of the egg yolks. If I ever entertain again, I will be sure to serve these.

Huevos "Abogado" - Guacamole Devilled Eggs

1 ripe Haas avocado, cut in half, pit removed
1 small Persian lime, cut in half
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
pinch of cayenne pepper
6 hard-boiled eggs, peeled, cut in half lengthwise
1 tablespoon finely minced onion
1/2 Roma tomato, seeds and pulp removed, remaining tomato minced
1/2 tablespoon minced jalapeño
Gourmet Garden chunky garlic paste, to taste
Gourmet Garden cilantro paste, to taste (I used about 1 tablespoon)
1 tablespoon mayonnaise (no more than this or filling will become too soft)

additional ground cumin and dried cilantro leaves, to garnish (Optional)

Scoop the avocado flesh out of the shell halves and add to a medium bowl with the juice of half the lime.  With a fork, mash the avocado, then add the salt, cumin, and cayenne.  Add the yolks from the eggs and use the fork to mash them and combine with the avocado.  Stir in the onion, tomato, jalapeño, garlic paste, cilantro paste, and the mayonnaise.

Taste and adjust seasoning, including a few drops of lime juice if needed. Use a spoon to fill the egg white halves, piling the filling high.  Garnish with a very light dusting of cumin powder, and sprinkle on the dried cilantro leaves.  Cover and refrigerate an hour or more before serving.

Don't Need to Needle Me Anymore

Friday, Day 33, continued - Ouch. I'm done, but please don't stick a fork in me. I've had quite enough of that today.  I decided to forego the prescription for a pain-killer and went to Race-Trac for frozen yogurt instead.  For now I am just a little sore and hoping it doesn't flare into anything more dramatic, but my whole left side is starting to rebel from the earlier indignities and that ice pack feels good.

If I understood correctly, the lump did not, unfortunately, collapse when punctured.  That necessitated a series of entries deep into my left breast, a procedure involving pressure and sharp pinches and the loud click of metal, five different times.  Bummer indeed.

I now have an appointment every day next week, including the last day before we cruise, and that one to find out the results of today's tests.  I still believe everything is going to come out benign, and I am pleased that the surgeon is taking every possible precaution in examining the anomaly.

But this whole experience is wearing me down, physically and emotionally, and I feel like I'm back at the beginning of this nightmare, 33 days ago.  I hurt, I'm exhausted, and I'm depressed.

I was, however, able to appreciate the beautiful blooms on my hibiscus that appeared just in time for our return from the surgeon.

Loquat Lately - Buttered Waffle Toast

Thursday, Day 32 - I finally figured out how I would like to use the loquats in a savory recipe.  Just in time to notice that the overripe fruit has fallen from the tree, or rotted outright on the branch.  There will be no stuffed pork chops in the immediate future. Bummer.

A rather sad-looking rose in the midst of weeds; a survivor, notwithstanding

I spent most of today involved with (yet another) doctor - traveling there, waiting, over an hour speaking with her, traveling back, dropping off prescriptions, picking up prescriptions ... you'd think I was sick or something. Since I have been going back to all the doctors I haven't seen for 8 or 10 years, it has been like some kind of bizarre old home week - or month.

Still worried about my cousin.  His procedure did not go smoothly, and the doctors are set to try a "do-over" next week, using a more serious device to get into the clogged arteries.  I get sick thinking about it.  Speaking of procedures, I have an office procedure scheduled for tomorrow with the surgeon; my poor girls are going to be subjected to involuntary acupuncture of sorts, with biopsies to follow.  I had so much tissue removed for biopsy during the multiple procedures I endured over the last month and a half, you would think I would have lost some weight. Ha.  Just kidding.  Still waiting for official word of results.

Friday, Day 33 -  This is the third, or maybe fourth, day of insane itching, which leads to crazed scratching which results in crankiness.  Mine. Fortunately that has been partially offset by my breakfast of toasted buttered bread.  I know, simple minds, simple pleasures.  But wait!  This is rather fabulous toast as it was made using my new griddler waffle plates. As you may remember, the griddler is my new favorite appliance, one of the very few - Keurig and toaster and that's it - appliances that I leave on the counter. This is the same appliance that, with the grill plates in place, made The Best Damn Grilled Cheese Sandwich.  Waffle makers are hot property right now, as Facebook and the Internet put up new and interesting ways to use them, like omelets and French toast.  Not just any French toast, but French toast made from a Krispy Kreme doughnut.

I have a lot to think about after my lengthy conversations with the therapist and the psychiatrist.  Fear really is the mind-killer, and I am afraid of a great many things.

Like this procedure.  I suddenly realized that last time I had a core biopsy done, I was knocked out cold, because I was also having the more invasive tumor removal under my right arm.  This time I get a Valium about an hour before the procedure, and the areas that are going to be punctured - best verb I could come up with - will be numbed.  I will likely be awake, Valium notwithstanding.  What are the chances that I am going to feel pain?  Put your bets down, ladies and gents!

I am afraid of many other things, most of them illogical (Leonard Nimoy voice here).  Those are the ones I have to think about.

Another Day, Another Doctor

Wednesday, Day 31 - April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month.  Although it's difficult to see in this picture, there is an entire "garden" of blue pinwheels in front of the sign.  This year the pinwheel garden was set up in front of the Historic Courthouse in Kissimmee, under one of the ancient oak trees.  Beautiful.

Children deserve a good childhood, a childhood free of abuse and neglect.  Parenting is the hardest job in the world, and many parents are not up to the task, because of substance abuse, mental health issues, intellectual limitations, poverty, or generational abuse.

There are a number of social programs out there to assist people to become healthier, competent parents, but these need to be funded and promoted.  Families need to be encouraged.  Children need to be protected.  And in case you ever need it, here in Florida, the Abuse Hotline number is 1-800-96-ABUSE.

As polarizing as my sunglasses, my Facebook status declaring that I was "Ready for Hillary" has garnered some reaction.  My nearest and dearest fall into one of two categories - staunchly conservative and strongly liberal. Being a rational anarchist I follow neither path.  I am mostly conservative except when I am liberal.  But even more than that,  Hillary is  perhaps the most polarizing and controversial figure in American politics.  You love her or you hate her, and either side can quote chapter and verse the facts that support their respective positions.  It is going to be a long and interesting election season, and perhaps it is best that that's all I say about that.

Today's odd-looking flower from yesterday's walk

Last night was horrible.  HORRIBLE.  The itching never stopped, even with an extra dose of hydroxyzine, which has left me feeling hungover.  The pups were suffering as well from their own itching issues, scratching and whimpering throughout the long sleepless night.  No sleep whatsoever, and I have to drive to the surgeon's office in north Orlando.  I just hope I don't fall asleep on I-4; it wouldn't be the first time.

I receive a lot of information on fibromyalgia through Facebook, and it amazes me the full range of bizarre symptoms we all seem to share.  The insane itching, the pain in strange places, the exhaustion, the brain fog.  I remember complaining about the brain fog 40 years ago.  Those needle-like shooting pains in my breasts - we know there is nothing on the mammogram or ultrasound to explain them - and then I saw posts from fellow fibro travelers complaining of the same thing.  What a really crappy disease!  I also saw someone asking about problems with swallowing food, and I found that interesting.

Chelsea is driving me crazy this morning.  First she barked her head off until I brought her upstairs, where I have been filling out endless forms for my medical appointment today (is it still relevant that I had my tonsils and adenoids removed in 1956?)  Then she barked her head off because her brothers were downstairs and she wasn't. She still isn't coming with me.

So, the doctor ... oy, the doctor, again.  So many doctor appointments. I could make this my life's work.  Today's appointment gave rise to three more - and so it goes.  I will have the core biopsy procedure on Friday, another mammogram on Monday, and an MRI on Wednesday.  My poor girls are definitely beginning to feel overexposed.

The Magic are finishing their season tonight in Brooklyn.  And tax season is finally, officially over.

From yesterday's walk, photos of some of the old homesteads on Clyde Avenue:

This one needs a lot of work, but the potential is limitless.  The photo doesn't do this justice.

Joy to the World - Welcome Baby Kate

Top of the news, and the best news of all.  This morning our family welcomed its newest member.  Her name is Katelyn, and she is perfect. My cousins Sheryl and Gary have become grandparents for the fifth time, and such very good grandparents they have been and will continue to be. From the bottom of my heart I send blessings and best wishes to Kate's parents, Stephanie and Corey, and her big brother Jake.

With such happy news forming the background of the day, I shouldn't be cranky, but I am. If I was a character in a Harry Potter novel, I would be Moaning Myrtle. With 67 year old grandmother Hillary Clinton having announced her candidacy, I shouldn't feel like an achy old woman, but I do. And with tax season drawing to a close tomorrow, and our cruise just 11 days from today, I shouldn't be irritated, but I am.  There must be a disturbance in the Force.  I know part of it has to do with my continued heightened concern for my cousin in California.  Surely it doesn't help that I've been through an endoscopy and still cannot eat like anything approaching a normal person.  Unless normal people subsist on chocolate, salty snacks, Danish butter cookies and pimento cheese.  Wouldn't that make an awesome basket on "Chopped!"

Yesterday's ducks 

I've been thinking about doing some baking. But first, I need a walk in the sunshine and some music in my ears to clear my head of this annoying negativity.  I'm thinking about baking hamantaschen, and I need some time to decide which recipe I am going to follow.  Yes, I know Purim is long gone, but answer me this - would you really turn down a homemade hamantaschen because it was being offered out-of-season?

Today's cooking

So, I've chosen to make Mama Leah's recipe for hamantaschen, except I'm too tired to even take the flour out of the pantry.  That salad represents the full extent of my cooking for the day.

What a terrific walk!  A beautiful day, a deep blue sky with fluffy clouds and lots of sunshine.  All that Vitamin D cheered me up and wore me down. The two are not mutually exclusive. Very glad I took my hat along, and I got some great snapshots.  I am exhausted, however, and I can't promise I won't start kvetching again.  It's in my genetic make-up.

I have a bunch of papers to fill out for the surgical consult tomorrow, but my head is having one of those foggy moments I so despise.  Worse than that, the head fog thing has seriously, negatively impacted my ability to knit.  There is some research out there to suggest that the act of knitting is an excellent fog-cutter, and while I should probably adopt the slogan, "Knitter, Heal Thyself" and act upon it, I continue to procrastinate.

I walked to the lake taking the "back way", up dirt roads and over a private railroad crossing, eventually finding my way to an Adirondack chair, looking out over the water.  Before I got there, I got photos of some extraordinary houses.         

                           

 

At the end of the day I did pick up my knitting needles while watching "Marvel: Agents of Shield." Glad I did, as it kept me from using my hands to shred my skin.

The Great Pretender

Oh-oh, yes I'm the great pretender
Pretending that I'm doing well
My need is such I pretend too much
I'm lonely but no one can tell

Oh-oh, yes I'm the great pretender
Adrift in a world of my own
I've played the game but to my real shame
You've left me to grieve all alone

Monday, Day 29 - Oh for crying out loud, who do I think I'm kidding?  I am in pain - full body, low level pain that is sucking up my last bit of energy.  Insane itching, fuzzy brain, left hand and arm bordering on useless from numbness and tingling, feeling crabby, and not that sweet, delicious, dip it in melted butter Alaskan King Crab, oh no. If I wasn't already on medical leave, I'd have to call in sick today. The idea that I have to get dressed and leave my room is freaking me out.  I have places to go and people to see, while all I want to do is sleep.  God knows I haven't done enough of that to count lately.

All the way across this great country of ours, in sunny California, land of nuts and berries, earthquakes and forest fires, my cousin is having rather serious surgery. I am deeply concerned and too far away to do anything about it.

Marco Rubio has announced his candidacy for the Republican presidential nominee.  That's what we need, another person with very little experience.  Admittedly a little more experience than Ted Cruz or Rand Paul, but those two are going to end up as nothing more than comic relief.

Okay, the day was tiring but productive.  I had to make multiple stops, which I hate doing, but it was the only way I was going to pick up stuff I needed.  Arnold Palmer drink mix sticks, Seabond denture wafers, Hershey's cocoa - how can it be that Target had none of these?  I finally had to stop at a CVS in Celebration (still the stupidest name for a town, which inspired other equally stupidly-named towns, like Reunion and Harmony), and a Publix near Universal Studios.  What a ride!  Most importantly, I picked up the disc containing the films from my mammogram and ultrasound, all ready for delivery to the surgeon on Wednesday.

The Magic lost to the Miami Heat.  Sadly, it doesn't seem the Heat will make it to the playoffs this year.  No home team to root for ...

I also got some photos, including this very neat residence across from the lake, and flowers in odd places (more parking lot buds.) I finally found some ducks who were willing to pose for pictures.  Well, willing may be too strong a word - they followed me back across the street to my car, with menace in their beady little eyes.  I don't know why there are no ducks along the older section of the lakeshore - they used to be in abundance there.  These ducks were sitting around the edge of the big pond in back of my office.

"Hey lady, are you lookin' at me?"

"ARE YOU LOOKIN' AT ME??"

"Let's get her, dudes!"

The Trouble With Tribbles - Raisin Pumpernickel Bread (Bread Machine)

Sunday - The trouble with magnolias - as if something that perfect could even cause trouble - is that the individual blossoms start to wilt and die much too soon.  Each flower is so perfect, I want them to last and last. Yesterday, while pulling into the parking lot at Publix, I noticed that all of their magnolia trees were starting to bloom - so of course I had to park the car and get a few shots.  These are, after all, my first magnolias of the season, and I was pretty excited about them.

I really wish I had stopped to take pictures of the cows and calves in the pasture on Partin Settlement Road, but there was no easy place to park the car.  Those are, in fact, tax abatement cows, which means a developer is going to start building there in the not-so-distant future.

No ducks, Muscovy or otherwise.  Since I couldn't get any pictures of water fowl - not that the Muscovy ducks are gracious about posing - they will walk right up to you and try to eat your camera - I offer the cutest canines around.

Thunder and lightning, very very frightening me ... and them.  Best ear worm of all time, by the way. Last night's noisy storming rattled my babies, especially these two - but they recovered well enough to sleep, whereas I was up every damn two hours. Not sure why, but I hated it and I hate the way I feel this morning as a result. But I think my mood will improve immeasurably when Hillary announces her candidacy.

Yes, you read that correctly. Hillary.  I've been waiting for this a long time. And now it happened and  my mood has improved - that plus a nice brunch with my mother-in-law.  Oh, and I finally got around to booking the shore excursions for our cruise.  Looking forward to the Tequila Tour - hey, oh, Jose Cuervo!  And BBC America is running a Doctor Who marathon.  If my back hadn't started to ache like days of old, the day would be practically perfect.

Today's cooking adventure involves my bread machine and that organic rye flour I picked up yesterday.  I've already made a hash of it, and have no idea if it will actually bake up into a decent, edible loaf of raisin pumpernickel, especially as the raisins were late to the party.  To incorporate them, I had to get a little creative - let's just say that dough has been punched down more times than Muhammed Ali.

Incidentally, Cory did make it back from the Ford Galaxy, safe and sound ... even brought a little friends back with him.

And Borg Tribble said, "You will be assimilated ... resistance is furry."

The bread came out rather good, despite my reservations, and has a really authentic Eastern European flavor and texture. If you have a bread machine and like to use it, I would recommend that you try this recipe.  The only problem I have - and always have when I use the machine - is the really odd size of the loaf.  I've never gotten used to baking bread vertically, and after 15 years, it may be time to invest in a newer model with a horizontal pan.

Raisin Pumpernickel Bread

In a glass measuring cup, combine:
1 3/4 cups water
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 tablespoons molasses

Pour into the bread pan fitted with the kneading paddle and set into the machine.

In a medium bowl, combine and whisk together:  

3 cups bread flour
2 cups rye flour
2/3 cup cornmeal
2 tablespoons caraway seeds
2 teaspoons instant coffee granules
3 tablespoons cocoa powder
1 teaspoon salt

Carefully add the dry ingredients to the bread pan on top of the wet ingredients.  With the back of a spoon, create a shallow well in the dry ingredients, and add:

2 1/2 teaspoons bread machine yeast

Run the machine on the whole wheat cycle, and add:

3/4 cup raisins

at the time indicated by your bread machine's instructions.  I missed the golden opportunity, which is why I had to punch the dough down, add the raisins, and restart the entire kneading cycle.  The extra punch down and kneading did not harm the bread at all.

I also soaked the raisins in boiling water for about 30 minutes, drained them very well, patted dry, and gave them a rough chop as they were extra large.  If you are using regular Sunmaid raisins, you can skip the chop, and if you just opened up a brand new package of raisins, you can skip the soak.

This is a heavy peasant bread, so slice it thin and serve it buttered along side a bowl of homemade soup.  My idea of a Nice Hot Lunch, or even a Nice Dinner.