Month: July 2011

Bug of the Week – No-see-ums

No-see-ums – a cute name for a pesky bug. Indeed — these tiny flies are called that because you can hardly see them “no-see-um.”  The females bite, suck your blood and make you itch. I feel itchy all over at night and now during the day.

They like to enter our house through the bedroom windows. Not sure why they pick that time of day except that they are attracted to light. Normally they don’t “roam” away from their home unless they are bothered. They like living in dead leaves — well, our property certainly has lots of that. In reading about them, they can travel up to 350 feet.  That’s a long way and obviously they like our house.

Before bedtime, I have sprayed the bedroom mesh screen with Mosquito Repellant. No-see-ums are pretty tiny and can enter through the holes of the mesh screen. The other solution would be to replace our screens with one that has smaller mesh holes so they can’t enter. Or — if worse comes to worse — just use the air conditioner at night.

Oh bother! One of the things I don’t like about Minnesota are the bugs. Although, we really don’t have too many. They just seem to like my fresh blood. And I like raking leaves — one of the tasks I was hoping to work on this next week.

Maybe the no-see-ums and I will become friends.  Yeah, right!

Click here to see pictures of what they look like.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Baked Apple Pancake

With four Granny Smith apples sitting around, I just had to make apple pancakes — but not ordinary ones. This is one large baked pancake and is cut into pie-like pieces. It is not too sweet and does not need syrup as it is delicious eaten alone.

Baked Apple Pancake

Ingredients

  • 1/2 stick unsalted butter
  • 1 1/4 pounds firm, tart apples (like Granny Smith) peeled, cored, and cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1/2 cup whole or low-fat milk
  • 1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 425F.
  2. Melt butter over medium-high heat in an ovenproof 10-inch skillet.
  3. Add apples, granulated sugar, cinnamon and cook, stirring occasionally, until the apples begin to brown and most of the juices have evaporated, 7 minutes or so. Remove skillet from heat.
  4. Combine eggs, milk, flour, and salt in a food processor or you can use an electric mixer or hand whisk it until smooth.
  5. Spread the browned apples evenly across the bottom of the pan.
  6. Pour the batter over the apples.
  7. Place the skillet in the oven and bake until the pancake is golden and puffed, 18 to 20 minutes (depending on your oven). At around 15 minutes, check your oven as you don’t want to over-bake your pancake.
  8. Remove the pan from the oven and let the pancake rest in the pan for 5 minutes. Cut into wedges, and serve immediately.

This serves 6 people.

Hmmm .. I think I’ll make it for our family reunion in August.

(Note: This recipe originally was in the Mom’s Big Book of Baking, by Lauren Chattman)

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Blueberry Coffeecake

This tried and true blueberry coffeecake from one of my favorite cookbooks tastes great with milk or … coffee.

Ingredients

  • 1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 2 cups fresh blueberries
  • 1 egg
  • 2/3 cup milk
  • 7 tablespoons butter
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon grated lemon rind

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 375º degrees
  2. Grease and flour a 9 inch square baking pan
  3. In a large bowl, stir together all the dry ingredients then toss the blueberries in it
  4. In a large bowl, beat the egg, add the milk, butter, lemon juice and lemon rind. Stir all together
  5. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ones and stir until combined
  6. Spread the mixture into the prepared pan
  7. Bake 50 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean and cake has puffed away from the edges of the pan.
Blueberry Coffeecake

Makes approximately 12 servings.

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Pledge of Allegiance in Church

Went to church this morning at 11:30 a.m.  The church I’m attending off and on has two worship services – one at 9:30 and one at 11:30. They have the Sabbath School in between those two times.

I’ve always been at church by 8:45 a.m. so the later time is a new experience for me but I like it. I can sleep in and leisurely make breakfast.

The church is 30 minutes away in Minneapolis. Today it was rather warm as they don’t have air conditioning and the service didn’t end until almost 1:00. By 12:30 my eyes were getting kind’ve sleepy.

Normally I enjoy the service. The people are diverse and there are many African people here — quite a few from Kenya. The special music they have is very lively. I nod my head and tap my toe to the music. Today, although the music was great and there was a baptism, I was annoyed.

They started the service with a hymn I’m familiar with — The Battle Hymn of the Republic. But then they went and meddled. They continued with the songs America the Beautiful and God Bless America. Then they had people stand for the Pledge of Allegiance.

Fat chance I would get up and pledge my allegiance to America in church. Or any other place for that matter. I’m quite upset with the America I live in right now.

First – I believe in separation of church and state and I don’t want to go to church and pledge my allegiance to anyone but God. I go to worship God — not America.

Second – the America I know today has gone ballistic. From illegal searches at airports by our very own government to going to war for — what was it again? Oh yeah, we were trying to kill Osama bin Laden — in Iraq. Then there’s Guantanamo Bay where hundreds of people are locked up for years with no “rights.” Yeah, yeah — military rule is different than civilian rule. Give me a break!

Shouldn’t there be human justice? Forget the labels we plop on things to make ourselves feel better and/or to treat people inhumanely.

I’m tired. Tired of the excuses or lack of excuses that our beloved (uh … not!) politicians give us. Can anyone answer a question anymore? Perhaps they should ask more simple questions of our politicians. Instead of “Were you confused when you stated John Wayne was from Waterloo? Wasn’t it John Wayne Gacy?” To which the reply was “Well, my intention was … ”

I think the questions we should ask our politicians should be more basic “Was the sky blue when you entered the building today?”

No — let’s not answer the questions anymore or take responsibility for being WRONG. And, according to a recent Los Angeles Times article, Ms. Bachmann is ahead in the polls. Are you kidding me?

I was giving her the benefit of the doubt as we should anyone. I waited to “hear more.” And then I heard. I heard her not saying anything.

Pledge my allegiance to America? No. Especially knowing, from Biblical prophecy, what this America will and is already turning out to be.

So — if any more church services I attend decide to pledge their allegiance to anything other than God I’ll be walking out. And I’ll keep walking. I get enough junk in the world without having to hear it from the front of the church pulpit.

 

Nature’s Beauty

Orange Light Lily

As the rain and the snow
come down from heaven,
and do not return to it
without watering the earth
and making it bud and flourish,
so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater,
So is My word that goes out from My mouth:
It will not return to Me empty,
but will accomplish what I desire
and achieve the purpose for which I sent it. Isaiah 55:10-11

Lily

 

Frank Lloyd Wright – Fallingwater

I came across a house built by Frank Lloyd Wright called Fallingwater and I fell in love. It is absolutely beautiful! I found a video that shows a simulation of the building of the Fallingwater house which is on a mountain stream called Bear Run in Pennsylvania.

Click here to view the video in Vimeo or here for the Youtube version.

I am a visual person but do not have much artistic ability. I would love to incorporate some of Wright’s ideas in landscaping our one acre property. I’ll have to figure out how to do that.