Daring Baker

"The June Daring Bakers' challenge was hosted by Jasmine of Confessions of a Cardamom Addict and Annemarie of Ambrosia and Nectar. They chose a Traditional (UK) Bakewell Tart... er... pudding that was inspired by a rich baking history dating back to the 1800's in England.
Bakewell tarts…er…puddings combine a number of dessert elements but still let you show off your area’s seasonal fruits.
Like many regional dishes there’s no “one way” to make a Bakewell Tart…er…Pudding, but most of today’s versions fall within one of two types. The first is the “pudding” where a layer of jam is covered by an almondy pastry cream and baked in puff pastry. The second is the “tart” where a rich shortcrust pastry holds jam and an almondy sponge cake-like filling."

As I am on vacation, there are only pictures; I made a nutella version, a raspberry-peach jam with sweet cheese version, and a lemon curd version. I am sure you can figure out which is which. All three were good, but the nutella was the big hit with the kids. Enjoy and visit the Daring Baker!

Funniest thing so far . . .

From the balcony in our hotel, we can hear a group of German speaking people in heavily accented English singing John Denver, "Country Road."

County road, Take me home
To the place
I belong
West Virginia . . .

hehehehehe

Too Tired to Write

Dachstein - Ice Caves, Regular Caves, Lots of Clouds, and the Sun in St, Wolfgang

Day One

Hiking above St. Wolfgang

Near Dittlbach brook

The tracks of the Schafberg mountain cog railway

Zauner Cafe and Pastry Shop - YUM!

Wine tasting at Felsenkeller.

Four More Days

Four days to go. Laundry to do. House to clean. Children's toys to pack. Children fighting non-stop. In-laws visiting. Must learn German. Clothes to pack. Must rearrange husband's return flight. Dinner to be made. Too hot to send children outside. Need to clear pictures from camera. Garden needs to be picked clean. Must finish knitting sweater for niece. Four days - just four more days!

Good Thoughts

It's probably nothing. After all, it's been a year and half of nothing. And therefore I refuse to be excited or hopeful . . .

BUT

. . . there was an email this AM. Hubby's application is being passed on to the next level. There's only one more level after that one. He's actually made it through the bureaucratic mess to a higher level. Maybe this time . . .

Probably not though - so no hopes up or anything like that. Right?

Day to day stuff

I am having a hard time believing that in less then two weeks I will be on a plane and out of this heat for a month. I keep hoping the tomatoes will ripen before I leave so I can make and freeze some sauce, but for now just lots of green tomatoes. Looks like Hubby will have to deal with this when he comes home after two weeks.

We have given up on the corn. The rodent has won this round and escaped the humane trap. I will have to be more crafty for my autumn garden. The kid with the BB gun has not been ruled out.

The kids and I are surviving the heat by keeping busy. Art classes for the next two weeks in the morning, visitors (yes, my MIL!), and packaging should occupy the next two weeks.

Nothing else to report. The new camera had a glitch and had to be returned so I don't even have pictures to share. Hope everyone is enjoying the summer and hopefully, I actually have something to write about soon!

Shoot to Maim

We have an unwanted visitor to our home; more specifically, a unwanted visitor to our garden. It appears that a rodent (my guess, a raccoon) has torn down my corn stalks, ripped off the half grown cobs, opened the husks, eaten the corn, and then carelessly thrown the remains on my pepper plants. If we had a large garden, I might be willing to share a bit, but this menace has destroyed more than half of the corn we have planted, and has tread on several pepper plants.

We have tried a humane trap. This is one of these traps that closes the animal in but doesn't hurt it. The first night, our thief came into the trap, took the bait (some tuna fish) and was able to push out of the trap once he finished his meal. My husband assumed that the trap did not close correctly and assured me that his tinkering has produced a working trap. No dice - no animal and more corn gone.

I grew up in a family that hunted animals and fished for food. My Dad also trapped animals and sold their skins for a few years. I never really understood the allure. While I certainly enjoy eating the deer, elk, and various fish, I didn't feel the need to pick up the gun or fishing pole and join in the chase. But now my roots have begun to show. A friend offered up her ten year old and his BB gun to take care of my visitor. And if Hubby was more agreeable to this plan, I would have already set the kid up with some cookies and a thermos for a night of "hunting". I guess the apple never does fall far from the tree, does it?