Travesties to Triumphs

My dears,

A remarkable woman named Annie once described her parenting style to me as "healthy neglect."  Though I tell myself that's my blogging mantra, there's a nagging suspicion it doesn't really translate well to closed input = output systems such as this.  Never the less, I have many tidbits to share, and like the postcards I just mailed to my parents that were addressed literally a decade ago, better late than never...right?

The little Thanksgiving puppy, Rosa, is still the happiest, most well behaved pooch I've ever met.  She's acclimated to her kennel in a field of wildflowers/outdoor lifestyle without a hiccup, and has been on doggy-vacation for 10 days with William.  The vacation topped out with a 40 mile overnight backpacking trip, for which Rosa packed her own supplies!

Things at Tate's Upper Canyon Outfitters Guest Ranch and Lodge are going well; I was able to accompany some select guests and staff from UCO on a beautiful horseback ride in the Gravelly Range.  Lookin' like a pro!

Despite my work schedule, I've found time to undertake the rather insane goal of running a marathon distance at the end of this summer.  Work/home is 24 miles from "town" and the plan, harebrained though it may be, is to go 2.2 miles FARTHER and then run all the way to Alder, Montana, from the Upper Ruby Valley.  There will definitely be some fluorescent yellow running shorts and a lot of silliness and ibuprofen in my daily routine.  There might also be some of those barefoot shoes involved, but we're not settled on that point yet... when it comes down to it, all I can tell you is that I've run 70 miles in the past 18 days or so, and I'm feeling a little bulletproof!

Kids, that's about it.  When the going gets tough, the tough get going - they cowboy up! and if all else fails and at the end of the day all you can say for yourself is that you're still upright and suckin' air, well, I figure you're not doing too bad after all.

Be well,

Elizabeth, Rosa, and everything else you hold dear

Kats-Up

In hopes of catching up,

Here are a bunch of pictures of things I've made recently.

Enjoy!

Eggs benedict with cheat hollandaise and fresh eggs (and hot sauce).

Energy bars with quinoa, dates, and chocolate chips!

Yum.

Jane's espresso machine is awesome; without it I would not bother getting out of bed in the morning.

Amber, Shawn and I dined on homemade pretzel pizzas, complete with Canadian-style bacon from Shawn's pig!

More pretzels, three with cheese.

Climbing quiche - quiche, devoured by climbers.

A cake.  Why?  More importantly, why NOT?

Decorated!

On a beautiful fish platter!

If you'd like recipes, COMMENT.

xoxo

Elizabeth

English Toffee, Attempt No. 1

Dear readers,

In California, I worked at a market that sold 8 ounces of a particular candy, for $11.95.  To my amazement and disgust, we could not keep it on the shelf.  Out of contempt for its already-rich manufacturers, I won't call it by name, and instead I have taken up the challenge of reverse-engineering the recipe for the benefit of the common people.  That's right, I'm like the Robin Hood of sweets.  Where's my little green outfit, complete with a feather in my pea pod shaped hat?  Mom?  Or maybe just a green apron...I digress:

The product in question seemed to have the consistency of a warm caramel candy, but the flavor and opacity of what I think of as toffee.  To the lab!  The computer lab, that is, to discover the difference between caramel and toffee. It seems, according to the internet, that caramel is made with sugar and milk cooked to whatever hardness on the candy hardness scale, in contrast to toffee, which is made with sugar and butter OR, as the candy hardness scale suggests, it has everything to do both with the dairy ingredient as well as the temperature to which its cooked.

In the pursuit of our illusive half-caramel, half-toffee, I scrapped the temperature-sensitive definition and grabbed the butter and got started...

Using a simple recipe from the webtubes that did not include corn syrup (it's bad enough for you, without using corn syrup - this stuff has always freaked me out), I simply decided not to cook the butter/sugar/water mixture to the "toffee" temperature of between 300-310°F, but instead to somewhere between soft and firm ball (234-248°).  The results were good but not soft enough, but still delicious!

I will include the final recipe!  In the meantime, does anyone have a foolproof muffin recipe?

When it rains, I pour! Meringue batter, that is.

Dear small but appreciated reading public,

The Southern Montana world of seed potatoes has been quiet this week, and thus I've been in the kitchen, cooking for my family, and baking for fun.  After completing my morning chores and seeing to all the animals, I sat down with my well-loved and highly coveted 1967 edition of the Joy of Cooking in hopes of finding a new challenge.

After a long battle (four minutes or so), I settled on Almond Meringue Rings even though they're marked as a traditional Christmas recipe (Mom, were you depriving me?).  Between souffle, whipped egg white pancakes, and meringue, egg while manipulation seems to have quite a reputation for being difficult to master.  Perhaps my lineage of bakers has allowed me to never falter in my conquests of egg white-specific recipes?  Or, maybe I'm just lucky.  Either way, I'm darn proud to post the Joy of Cooking's recipe and call it a success, especially with my addition of a solid pinch of kosher salt.

Enjoy!  Feel free to post questions if you'd like to make this recipe for yourself and are intimidated (as I was) by the fear-inspiring eggs.  *I will also say that there's no way I could have made them into the rings they're named for.  Does anyone know what that's all about?

Almond Meringue Rings

Preheat oven to 300°

Chop:
     1/4 lb sliced almonds and toast lightly
Whip until stiff but not dry:
     2 egg whites
Add gradually, beating constantly:
     1 cup sifted confectioner's sugar
Beat mixture with electric mixer for about 15 minutes on med-high setting.  Mixture develops some memory and looks smooth and glossy.
Fold in:
     Toasted almonds
     1 teaspoon vanilla
     Pinch medium grain Kosher salt

*Shape batter into rings on a well greased cookie sheet and bake until rings just begin to color (I found this to be approximately 35 minutes).

This little guy thought they smelled so good, he waited patiently outside until I pulled them out of the oven.

Parting note:  You'd better put all the batter in the oven right after you're done mixing it.  A little bird (definitely not the Little Bird of Experience) just told me that they're turn out flat and awful looking if you let the mixture sit...

Roadside Rock

My dear, dear reading public:

Today was the kind of day that makes life worth living.  Often I stopped and laughed out loud I was so pleased to be where I was, with friends, having a simply delightful time - and all the while, it seemed I could feel the Earth moving beneath my feet, the passing of time, and hot damn there I was!  Glad, so glad to be alive.  It's the kind of feeling you try to recall at the end of a hard day, during challenging times, to remind you why you keep on keepin' on.  There's no question in my mind that luck and persistance are both on my side that I am blessed enough to enjoy days like today.

Are you drooling and at the edge of your seat for me to tell you what I was doing?

...



How about now?

Hints:

1) We were outside

2) One, if sane, needs lots of gear to proceed safely

3) French is involved

Answer:

Rock climbing!

Lovely Shawn and Amber took me out for my first rock climbing adventure, and we had a blast.  Perfect cool, clear weather, the sun at our back, we did three routes the least of which was a 5.8 (Ya like how it sounds as though I know what that means?), everyone getting a chance at each, and perhaps I'll shut up and show you the pictures.  Suffice to say, I had so much fun (and, maybe my fingers are a LITTLE raw) that I kind of want to live in a van and be a climbing bum.  Three cheers for hobbies and goals!

Enjoy!

Gettin' 'er done.

How awesome is THAT - Go Amber!

Thanks for keeping us safe, Amber!

 



Shawn's not relaxed or anything...
If you can't tell, his feet are crossed!

I'm about to be face to face with a LOT of bat guano.

Look!  I completed the route!

PUPPY!

Pictures are worth a thousand words, so here's a bunch.

She's already pretty potty trained, and a wonderful snuggler.  She's so darn cute I bet she'd be a great smuggler, too.

As of today, she doesn't have a name. The leading suggestion is Jane, after Calamity Jane (thanks, Todd).

Suggestions welcome!

Fasten Your Belts...

Shop time, holding you pants up, fashion slavery... I made a belt buckle, and I'm pretty darn excited about it.  In fact, I'm wearing it right now...

If you're interested to have one similar to the prototype pictured below, let me know and we can haggle.

Huzzah!