Pint Sized Cakes

Below is an email I got from a friend. She got it from her cousin. I haven't tried these yet, but I wanted to share the idea anyway. (If I waited until after I tried it, NaBloWriMo would be over!) Maybe someone has already tried this...if so, what did you think?

"I make 'pint-size cakes' in canning jars! (Be sure they are straight-sided. Quart size will not work!) You simply take your favorite snack cake recipe such as date-nut, banana, or applesauce; put 1 cup of batter (no more or it will overflow) in a canning jar and bake it. In the meantime boil the lids and rings. Take the cake out of the oven and place the lid and screw ring on top. Let the cake cool. When the lid seals it will cave in. Voila! Your cake is canned and ready to put on the shelf until you are ready to eat it. This serves 2-4 depending on how thickly you slice it. I really like these cakes because they taste fresh and never taste of freezer burn."

Tick Tock

Tick tock, tick tock, time is running out
I've been up since four, I have no post
It makes me want to pout

So this, my friends, will have to do
I'm tired and ready for bed
I've already missed a day this month
I don't want to make it two

Oldies but Goodies

I made a batch of Snickerdoodles this evening using the only recipe I've ever used, the one in my old standby Betty Crocker cookbook. You know the one...orange, loose leaf binder style. I do like to try new recipes, and some of those "new" ones have now become old favorites, but I have never tried a different Snickerdoodle recipe. In fact, I don't even know if there is another one!

My cookie sheets are old, too. They have to be at least 30 years old, if not older, and they were probably the cheapest ones I could get at the time. I've tried to replace them a few times with some really nice ones, but I was never satisfied with the results. I no longer look for new cookie sheets. My old ones will probably last forever. Who knows, they may even be viewed as family heirlooms!

I guess the moral here is "If its not broken, don't fix it."

Lucky Dog!

I got Roger a new toy today...a stuffed duck that makes a quacking sound. It was on sale for $2.99 and I couldn't resist it. As expected, Roger was delighted with the duck and I think he was a little surprised by the sound.

Roger loves his toys and the squeaky ones are his favorites. He doesn't destroy them right off, but he does love them enough that they don't last forever. The rabbit he got for Easter finally had to be replaced with with a squeaky tiger just last month. Although Tiger has already gone mute and is going deaf (his ears have been almost chewed off), Roger still plays with him and I expect him to last a couple more months, at least.

Dogs are so easy to please. They don't ask for much...regular meals, fresh air and exercise, a warm place to sleep, and above all, companionship. Toys are the icing on the cake. Roger is a lucky dog to have have it all! I'm pretty darn lucky myself to have Roger!

Storm Watch

The rain that was predicted for today started around 1:30 am, but the brunt of the storm didn't really hit until later in the morning. My town received just over 2 inches of rain while the next town, less than 10 miles to the north, received well over 3 inches. The wind was actually not quite as strong as expected, but it did wreak havoc, causing power outages and knocking down several trees. One particularly large oak landed on a mobile home. The residents were at home at the time, and although both were uninjured, the woman was trapped for a short time. Another tree fell onto a couple of cars, both unoccupied. In a mountain community several miles away a large pine tree fell onto a fire station! Again, no one was injured, but it apparently caused some major damage. The rain stopped for several hours this evening, but it is now starting up again. From the sound of the wind chimes, the wind is about a 3 or 4 on the Beaufort Scale. (I discovered the Beaufort Scale while thumbing through the dictionary many years ago. I have never forgotten about it and like to refer to it every chance I get! I think they should use it on Jeopardy!)

Change in Weather

The first storm of the season is expected to arrive tonight, bringing rain and wind. The worst of it should be tomorrow, with winds expected to be between 21 and 31 mph, gusting as high as 44 mph. I'm ready!

Christmas in October?

Up until about 2 years ago, when I (semi) retired, I remembered almost all of my dreams in great detail, these days not so much. I'm not sure if I actually dream less now or if I just don't have as much recall, but I kind of miss them. The dreams that I do remember still have a lot of detail, and I like that, but sometimes I can only recall fragments, and then only after something jogs my memory. This morning, after I had been up for a couple of hours, I remembered a snippet of a dream I had the night before...there was a huge, fully decorated Christmas tree in my living room that had obviously been there for some time, but it was if I had never really noticed it before. When it dawned on me that it was late January I was mortified! I wonder what that means.