PATRIOTIC PETUNIAS

SWMBO said "You ought to take a picture of the petunias out front.  They're red, white and blue."  She added that some days they pout and other days they bloom like crazy.  "Maybe a little water helps them," she added.

Well, yeahhhh.



RAW TALENT

This is a truly amazing display of talent.  In this video, a young girl walks up to a Karaoke machine in a store and proceeds to blow the doors down.  Check it out.

According to an Australian newspaper, the Herald Sun, the singer is a 21 year old girl from the Philippines named Zendee Rose Tenerefe. The newspaper now says she has landed a guest spot on the Ellen DeGeneres television show, thanks to this performance in a Manila shopping mall.

LOBSTER!!!

We don't often have them.  Actually I don't think it's more than once a year.  But apparently there is a huge oversupply this year.  So a local store had 5 ounce lobster tails on sale for $5.00.  SWMBO went to the store and bought four of them the other day.

Today she grilled them.  Grilling lobster is a first for her.  They were absolutely fantastic.



They were accompanied by grilled corn on the cob and a grilled mashed potato dish with sour cream, bacon and chives.  The lobster tails were swabbed with a mixture of olive oil, lemon juice, white pepper, salt, paprika and garlic powder.

I was only the bartender.  Here is my picture after this wonderful meal.



It appears to be a death picture.  It is not.  But if I am to die, let it be after a meal like tonight's.

GROWTH AND MORE GROWTH

We had to make a trip to Phoenix today.  It was good to see the old city though it's growing, growing, growing.

Speaking of growing, back at home the vinca is growing like . . . . vinca.



SUNFLOWERS



With our over-active monsoon season this summer, the sunflower weeds are abundant, lining the roads everywhere.  The surrounding land seems greener than I can remember.

Of course, I'm older now and my memory isn't what it used to be!

BAKING DAY

Friday was baking day at my house.  First, I (and the bread machine) made a loaf of whole wheat bread studded with Craisins (dried cranberry raisins). 

I've been experimenting with my last couple of loaves, trying to solve the problem of the top collapsing.  We're at about 5,100 feet elevation so my cookbooks gave me the idea I'd have to adjust the ingredients for high elevation baking.  The first loaf I reduced the yeast and it helped but it still wasn't right.  With this loaf I added more water in addition to the reduced yeast.  I think that pretty much made the difference.

The top is still a bit misshapen but it generally stayed high and the bread is not as dense as before.  My chief taster said she liked it a lot better.

While the bread was baking, I whipped up a batch of shortbread cookies.

They're so light in color they don't look done to me but they are.  Also, because they're so "short" (i.e., pastry with a high percentage of fat) they crumble practically at a touch.  I had difficulty with a few that I tried dipping in chocolate.

As you can see, they're not pretty enough to offer to company but they were only made for home consumption anyway.  And again, I thought they tasted good.  And my official taster (who loves shortbread cookies much more than I do) gave her stamp of approval.

A moderately successful day.

(The cookie recipe . . along with many variations . . is courtesy of Mark Bittman and last Sunday's New York Times magazine.)

TUT TUT