AND THE WINNER IS . . .

. . . SWMBO, not to my surprise.  She's spent many decades (I won't say how many) standing over a stove so she correctly identified yesterday's Mystery Nuclei as . . . butter melting in a hot pan.  To be absolutely correct it was butter melting in oil in a hot pan but I'm picking no nits here.

I must say that Steve from Germany gave her a run for her money with his guess of pancake batter testing the heat of a hot pan.  So I'll award him a light blue ribbon. 

Other guessers?  Like me, you have to spend more time in the kitchen.

Which, incidentally, I did this morning making an Apple Oven Cake, which was delicious.  You can find the recipe in the January issue of  Sunset Magazine.  It's very simple and quick.

SWMBO had just returned from the BRD's where she'd been house-sitting for the past 36 hours.  I welcomed her home with a spicy Bloody Mary and the cake for breakfast.

She was glad to be home.  The BRD apparently keeps her thermostat set at 64 degrees and that's just too cold for her.  She's tried several times to turn it up with no success.  With these new thermostats I guess you have to be a rocket scientist to adjust them.

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Apropos of absolutely nothing, here's an entertaining picture I found on the Internet this morning.

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So . . . on to the Gratuitous Critter picture.  (Sorry.  I've been neglecting them recently.

"C'mon, take your best shot.  I dare ya!"