“I’m not making any plans. I’m just going to let the universe surprise me.”
Today smells like fresh earth. It smells like grass. The air is warm. The sun is bright. I keep going outside to the deck drawn by the warmth. Gracie has been out all morning mostly lying in the sun. Off in the distance is the sound of a leaf blower cleaning winter away. I think today is glorious.
The sun has made me energetic. I have completed and crossed off chores on the list for weeks. I am even getting closer to tackling the cabinet under the counter. I am curious as to what lies hidden there. I know there must be mice nests as I found some the last time I cleaned the cabinet, and I also found their cache of rice. I am on the hunt for a special baking pan long-lost in the Bermuda Triangle of my cabinet.
When I was young, I confronted noises. “Come out. Come out. I know you’re there,” I’d yell, but the last thing I wanted was for anyone or, even worse, for something to come out of the darkness. My bravery was bravado. I had this idea that by yelling I’d scare away whatever was making the noise. Nothing ever came after me. I figured I’d scared them or it. The older me knew better. Nothing was really there.
In the summer we could play outside even when it got dark. The street light rule was no longer in effect. We had to stay in the neighborhood, but our neighborhood was filled with wonderful places and so much to do. Hide and seek was even more fun in the dark. Sometimes we’d jump out at the seeker and scare him or her half to death. The more the seeker yelled in fright the more fun it was for us. Kids do have a bit of a sadistic streak.
Being a kid meant taking each day as it came. Saturday was the day filled with the most possibilities. We could go to the movies or ride our bikes or walk the tracks. We could catch grasshoppers in the field or watch the polliwogs in the swamp. We’d decide on Saturday morning. Planning is never a kid thing. Life is so much easier without a calendar waiting to be filled.
Explore posts in the same categories: MusingsTags: bravado, cleaning the cabinet, come out, darkness and the summer, doing chores, fresh air, glorious day, Leaf blower, noises, sacred, Saturday, sun, warmth
Both comments and pings are currently closed.
keepthecoffeecoming.blog 
April 18, 2015 at 12:30 pm
Crabmeat-Stuffed Red Snapper with Champagne Beurre Blanc
Ingredients
1 (6-pound) snapper
2 pounds lump crabmeat
1/2 cup minced green pepper
1/2 cup minced pimiento
1 cup minced scallions
1 cup minced celery
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon Tabasco
1 teaspoon fresh thyme
2 slices white bread, without crusts
1 cup milk
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
1 cup brut champagne
Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Bone the snapper,leaving the head and tail intact.
Pick over crabmeat for filament,and toss with vegetables,butter,and seasonings.
Soak bread in milk,squeeze out the excess,and crumble the soggy bread into crabmeat mixture.
Stuff the snapper with the crab mixture and place in a shallow baking pan.
Moisten with champagne,dot with butter,add salt and pepper to taste and bake for about 30 minutes.
Yield 6 servings
Champagne Beurre Blanc
1 bottle brut champagne
2 cups minced scallions, white portion only
Strong dash of Tabasco
1 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 pounds (6 sticks) unsalted butter
Cut the butter into 1-ounce pieces and keep chilled.
Boil the champagne fiercely over a high flame,with the scallions and seasonings,until the pan is very nearly dry.
Whisk butter into the hot,damp scallions,still over a high flame.
When all the butter is absorbed,remove the pan from the heat,let cool briefly,
and strain into a sauce boat.
Serve at once.
Yield: 3 cups
April 18, 2015 at 1:09 pm
Okay, this one I love, morpfy. Red snapper is a favorite of mine, but I can’t get it down here for some reason. I figure they don’t transport fish as we live near the ocean. I, however, will definitely copy this as it sounds delicious!
April 18, 2015 at 12:30 pm
Hi Kat,
I bang on things that are making noises. I figure if I bang on it, whatever was in there will go away and I can open it without consequence.
I did a bunch of errands yesterday morning and Thursday all day. I even planted grass seed yesterday as it was raining. Of course the rain stopped shortly after I had finished planting the grass so I will have to drag out the hose after all.
Piki Dog stole my brand new sandals and hid one somewhere. They were originally in the bathroom but when I got home, I saw one in the dining room. Figuring the other one might be under the claw foot bathtub, I got the broom and swept under there. Lots of dust and big clumps of dog hair but no sandal. I found the other sandal on the stairs near the window they sit in where I should have looked first. Ah well. The bathroom floor is swept.
Today is lovely. I’m not planing anything. Maybe an ice cream run. 🙂
Enjoy the day.
April 18, 2015 at 1:13 pm
Hi Caryn,
You bang, I yell. I figure we get the same results.
My grass is looking good so I don’t think I’ll need to reseed any part of it. The ground will be wet for those seeds after the rain so they may germinate quickly.
I did two errands yesterday and felt accomplished. Today I have to plan a couple of appies for tomorrow night, game night, so I’ll shop in the morning.
Piki Dog has a sense of humor. At least he doesn’t eat your sandal but rather hides it. One of my dogs always ate my mother’s left shoe or sandal when we went to visit.
Yup, nothing here either! Ice cream sounds great!!
Have a lovely day!!
April 18, 2015 at 12:32 pm
Pink Champagne Cake
Ingredients
2-3/4 cups sifted flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup shortening
1-1/2 cups sugar
3/4 cup CHAMPAGNE
6 egg whites
6 large marshmellows, quartered
Coconut Filling
1/4 cup butter
16 large marshmellows quartered
1 tablespoon white wine
1 cup flaked coconut
Fondant Frosting
1 pound powdered sugar
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1/4 cup water
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla
Dash salt
Few drops almond extract
2 to 3 drops red food coloring
Instructions
Resift flour with baking powder and salt.
Cream shortening with 1 cup sugar until light and fluffy.
Blend in flour mixture and champagne alternately,mixing to smooth batter.
Beat egg whites until stiff.
Gradually beat in remaining 1/2 cup sugar,continuing to beat to stiff meringue.
Fold about half of meringue into batter,mixing gently but thoroughly with whisk.
Gently fold in remaining meringue.
Turn into 2 greased and floured 9-inch cake pans.
Bake at 350 degrees F for 25 to 30 minutes,just until cake tests done.
Let stand 10 minutes then turn out onto wire racks to cool.
When layers are cool,fill with Coconut Filling between layers.
Using 2/3 cup Fondant Frosting,spread thin layer smoothly over top and sides.
This seals any crumbs.
Pour about 1/2 cup additional frosting over top of cake and spread quickly to smooth layer.
Cover sides of cake with second layer of frosting.
Dip marshmallow quarters in remaining frosting to coat both sides and set randomly over top and sides of cake.
Makes 10-12 servings.
Coconut Filling
Combine butter,marshmallows and wine in top of double boiler.
Set over simmering water and stir occasionally until marshmallows are melted.
Remove from heat and stir in coconut.
Cool until thick enough to spread.
Fondant Frosting
Sift sugar into top of double boiler.
Add corn syrup and water.
Stir over simmering water until smooth.
Blend in vanilla, salt,and almond extract.
Stir in food color,if desired. Keep frosting warm while using so it spreads smoothly.
Yield: 10 to 12 servings
April 18, 2015 at 1:06 pm
Morpfy,
I almost don’t want to waste champagne here, but then I get to drink the rest!
I think I will use regular frosting as I am not a fan of fondant.
Love the coconut!
April 18, 2015 at 1:26 pm
I did much the same, let what ever it was know that I knew it wasaround 🙂 Noe days I don’t care, four dogs stops that worrying 🙂 If they don’t react to the sound neither do I 🙂
Nice here today, not as nice as predicted but nice enough. I mowed the parts of the lawn where the grass had grown too high, it wasn’t as bad as I thought 🙂
I weeded around some berry bushes too, I might get some red currants this year if I’m lucky. I moved some bushes, last summer, that grew so bad that the fence devided them into four bushes and they are already shooting new growth.
I just watched Grimm and today Adalind realised she’s pregnant again, with Nick 🙂 🙂 🙂 By the way, does Trouble come back again? I miss her now when she has moved away.
Have a great day!
Christer.
April 18, 2015 at 1:32 pm
Christer,
Gracie also reacts but to someone knocking by barking. For a car door slamming she sits up and listens. She does make me safe.
We aren’t close to mowing yet. The grass is greener but not high. It will really seem like summer when the mowers start.
My front yard is all cleared compliments of my landscaper’s guys. They did such a good job two people have complimented my yard and how good it looks.
Not so far on Trouble. I wonder about a hexonbeast having a Grimm’s baby. It sounds almost like a dual personality. Juliette is who you’ll find amazing!
Enjoy your Saturday!
April 19, 2015 at 5:38 am
It can’t be a good thing that a hexenbiest have a baby with a Grimm 🙂 It can be a truly nasty being when it grows up 🙂
April 19, 2015 at 9:57 am
Christer,
Do you think it could be self-destructive-the Grimm wanting to kill the hexonbeast?
April 18, 2015 at 7:41 pm
Last night we were treated to a line of thunderstorms accompanied by heavy rain and lighting. Thankfully there was no hail. Another line is headed this way again tonight. Yesterday we moved into a condo and we are living in a jungle of boxes. This is the last move I am going to make. My next move will be to the cemetery and I won’t have to carry the box. 🙂 of course it’s late April in tornado alley so thunder storms are the norm and the drought is almost over.
Even as a boy I was reluctant to stir up nocturnal critters. Some of my friends, those whose parents hunted, delighted in stirring up snakes, rats and other nocturnal creatures. I’m also not a fan of lizards and bugs. I realize that the cockroach was the only survivor at ground zero in Hiroshima the day we dropped the bomb, so they are not on the endangered species list and can be killed on sight.
April 18, 2015 at 7:51 pm
Bob,
I’m glad you finally got some rain and more is coming. Nothing would be worse than a summer drought. We don’t see much hail around here, and if we do, it is small, more like peas than golf balls.
Nothing worse than moving especially from larger to smaller. I didn’t have that problem as I was renting and my roommate owned the house and furniture. I had a desk, a TV and a studio couch. For the kitchen I had two pots and a pan. Now it would take a caravan to move me.
I do kill the moths which appear around this time. They drive me crazy. The spiders I like. They too are moth hunters who hope to snag some in their webs. I lived in Africa. The last things that bother me are bugs or lizards. I remember seeing lizards for the first time all over the place. They were cool looking-large and multi-colored. That let me know I wasn’t in Kansas anymore.
April 18, 2015 at 8:32 pm
“-)
April 18, 2015 at 8:49 pm
Thanks, Morpfy!