The Best Breakfast

Told ya I saw French Toast in my near future. The more I thought about it after mentioning it yesterday, the more I couldn't get it out of my mind. French Toast is my very favorite breakfast . . . heck, I'll gladly eat it for lunch or dinner, too. And in my book, it's best made with white bread.

Unfortunately, my husband is not the French Toast fanatic I am. However, I am smart enough to know that if I serve it with homemade blueberry syrup, I will hear nary one word of discord at our table. (If I put ANYTHING made with or resembling a blueberry in front of him, he's a happy camper.)

HOMEMADE BLUEBERRY SYRUP

2 cups frozen blueberries ~ 1-/4 cup water ~ 1/4 cup frozen lemonade concentrate, undiluted ~ 2 tablespoons sugar ~ 2 tablespoons water ~ 1 tablespoon cornstarch

In a small saucepan, combine blueberries, 1/4 cup water, lemonade concentrate (does not have to be thawed), and sugar. Bring to a boil, stirring now and then. Reduce heat and simmer for 3 minutes.

Dissolve cornstarch in 2 tablespoons water and stir into blueberry mixture. Return to boil for 1 minute or until mixture thickens, stirring constantly.

Serve warm or at room temp. Store syrup (should there be any left) in refrigerator in covered container. Makes about 1-1/2 cups.

This recipe is super-simple and, needless to say, is also great over waffles, pancakes, ice cream, pound cake, mashed potatoes . . . okay, I was just checking to see if you were paying attention by throwing in the mashed potatoes. If the syrup consistency is thicker than you like, go ahead and add some water. It won't hurt a thing . . . and the syrup will go a little farther!

Wouldn't this syrup make a nice gift in a fancy little jar if you had the urge to give some of it away? Now you'll have to excuse me while I go gobble up my French Toast.

Cold Out There, Warm In Here

Gadzooks. Can't remember the last time I made good, old, plain, white bread. The idea came to me this morning in bed at 5:10. A blasted foot cramp woke me around 5 and by the time I got up, walked (hobbled) around the house trying to coax it to go away, made a bathroom stop . . . (Do you know what Batman does first thing every morning? He puts on his batrobe and goes to the batroom . Sorry, I just had to insert that.) . . . Where was I? Oh, yeah . . . I made a bathroom stop and crawled back into bed. The logs we put in the wood stove last thing last night didn't catch. Therefore, it was a mite chilly in the house and getting back into our warm bed seemed like a really good idea. But more shut-eye for me 'twas not to be. I was wide awake so laid there mentally planning my day. For some reason (basic hunger?) I started thinking of homemade bread. From there . . . well, that's the thought process that evolved into these two loaves of bread.

(Hmmm, I think I see French Toast with Blueberry Syrup in my near future.)

It's now mid-morning and the temp reads 28 degrees. (That's outside, we have managed to get things warmed up inside.) Another windy, gray, damp day with snow flurries. Somebody tell me there is still a sun somewhere out there, please? We sure haven't seen any sign of it in a couple of weeks. Makes it tough for people relying solely on alternative solar energy. I surely don't recall such winter-like weather hanging on into the end of March very often. Guess it just shows to go you that Mother Nature still maintains the upper hand. We who choose to live in the northern states just need to take a couple extra doses of Patience when waiting for spring.

Out of the Ice

We went to bed last night with the temperature hovering at 33-34 degrees and ice coating everything. Woke this morning with the temperature hovering at 33-34 degrees, rain drops falling and no ice to be seen. My husband commented that there must be a warm 34 degrees and a cold 34 degrees.

I don't have a picture to post tonight because showing dirty melting snow, standing water on ice and mud again where the ice has melted doesn't seem very enticing or interesting.

We fared better than other parts of our county through the ice storm. Because of the weight of the ice, a few tops of trees broke off in the wind and small branches are scattered over much of the ground. We only lost grid power twice. Once for an hour yesterday that we were notified of beforehand when the power company had to do repairs a short distance from us and then last night around 9 p.m. when the power unexpectedly went out for another hour. Many people were out of power for much longer stretches for several different periods over the last few days because of downed power lines. Friends of ours several miles from us had been battling water pouring into their basement but were keeping ahead of it by running a sump pump continually . Then when the power went out at 9 last night, there was only one thing to do. They bailed with buckets until 1:30 a.m. when their power was restored.

Today we had alternating showers of rain and snow. Now at 8:30 p.m. the temp is down to 31 degrees and I can hear the wind howling. Don't know what tomorrow will bring but I do believe the ice storm is over. The forecast calls for a high of 34 degrees. I hope it's the warm 34 degrees.

But warm or cold, I'm not complaining as our particular weather isn't bad at all when you consider the serious flooding and destructive tornadoes with which nearby states are dealing.

I'll end this post with two words . . . C'mon, Spring!

Ice Storm Update

According to just posted reports, another freezing rain blob of weather is moving into our area this morning. I think I can testify that it has arrived because when I went out onto our deck a few minutes ago to take these pictures, rain drops and ice crystals both were dropping on my head . . . making a lovely, tinkling sound. (There is beauty in everything if we but look for it!)

This is the nannyberry tree at the side of our deck where the birds like to rest or perch to crack open the sunflower seeds they pick up at the bird feeders.

You can see why they're having a little difficulty hanging on to their perches. It doesn't seem to be deterring them though. One minute I look out and the tree is full of finches, the next it's holding a whole congregation of chickadees.

Also, the first of our returning Mallard ducks showed up yesterday. (Fine weather for ducks, eh?) The pond isn't showing open water for them yet but they land on the ground under the bird feeder that's on a post in the yard and vacuum up dropped seeds. Despite the current weather, spring can't be far behind with the return of the wild ducks!

Ice Storm

Just snapped this picture out my kitchen window. Schools in town closed an hour ago ('tis my opinion they perhaps should not have opened today?) and no travel is advised in the area.

The weather has worsened as the day has gone on. Our local radio station isn't able to broadcast because their transmitter tower is iced over. A chickadee just landed on an ice covered branch of the nannyberry tree outside my window and did a little sliding side-step until he could get a firmer grip. Winter doesn't seem to want to slip easily into spring this year.

Supposedly the ice conditions will, for the most part, be over by noon tomorrow. Between now and then, I'm hoping everyone stays safe and the ice doesn't cause power lines to come down. The best of days to be settled in at home with a crackling fire in the wood stove and a pot of soup simmering away. (Green Split Pea . . . can you smell it?) I'm going to go make a cup of something to drink. Coffee or tea, anyone? Hot chocolate? Hot Buttered Rum?

November Weather in March

Today is another day of spring weather I would just as soon skip. Very gray, bone-chilling damp, windy and the ground is covered with melting snow and a mixture of ice, mud and slush. Great day to be inside as much as one can. The forecast for the coming week looks a little bleak, too. Temps barely reaching the 40s for highs, on and off rain/snow/freezing rain. No happy, smiley sun faces showing on this week's weather map. Not that it has to be a sunny day to be a good day by any means, but this time of year I'm a little eager for blue skies with encouraging sunshine and warmth with promises of gardening days to come.

I haven't started any of my seeds inside yet. Up here it's the first of June before we dare transplant seedlings into the garden. And even then we sometimes get stomped on with a surprise late frost. So other than perhaps tomatoes and peppers, in our house nothing gets started under lights until the first of April. Otherwise, the plants just get too leggy.

No tomatoes (except cherry tomatoes that I'm always lucky enough to get bunches of without too much trouble) for me this year. Before last summer, I hadn't planted any full-sized tomatoes for several years. But the past couple of growing seasons had been a little warmer so once again, I was lured into thinking that with a little extra effort, maybe I could get those round, red devils to ripen for me. Last year I did lots of experimenting in the garden (with LOTS of tomato plants) with the thought of trying my darndest to get a bunch of full-sized tomatoes to harvest. I use a lot of stewed tomatoes in soups and casseroles and really wanted to can our year's supply. Remember how I did? Dismal failure. In our climate, you truly do need a greenhouse to be assured of having tomatoes ripen on the vine. Wonder why I can't get that through my head? (Hope springs eternal, as they say!)

Peppers grow on a small enough "bush" for me to protect them with a cold frame type affair over one of my 4' x 8' garden beds so even if the started plants are just eight weeks old when I put them out, they end the season giving us lots of red and green fruits.

Roy just came in from doing some afternoon chores outside and remarked, "Dang, that wind is cold!" I can hear it moaning and see the trees swaying as I look out the window above my computer screen. Yup, mighty good imitation of a barren November day Mother Nature's got going out there. Wonder if the birds zooming back and forth from feeders to trees know it's spring rather than fall? They sure look like they're stocking up for cold weather. But, no fear, they're smart. They know spring is around the corner; their little bird brains are no doubt centered on nest building and laying eggs in the near future. Just as I know I'll be poking little seeds into warm soil before many more weeks go by. We never do get much of a spring season up here. One day it's cold and damp and the next it's 70 degrees and summer has arrived. And, woo-hoo, right now that sounds pretty good!