These Pretzels Are Making Me Thirsty

Well, still here. Still hanging in. Some tidbits from a visiting manager who is there to 'support' ... someone. Haven't figured out what he does, he just shows up and sits in our office sometimes. Once, someone asked him a question and they kind of intimated that he as manager should be able to do something, to which he said, "I'm a cog in the machine like you are. Just a higher paid cog." Which, ew. Second overheard remark was him telling a staff person this: "I've walked a mile in your shoes, except mine are bigger."

Yeah. So. Still hating the work environment!

Have some photos:


^I am tired of the chill mornings, and yet they sometimes produce such lovely things.


^Hank. *heart eyes*


^Spring is trying to arrive. It's been really chilly again, though we had a solid week of warm sunshine midmonth.


^You can do it, daffodil!


^I have a friend at work who likes to give me her castoff produce, usually when it's mostly turned. I guess better than having it go to waste? I dunno, it seems thoughtful and kind of rude at the same time. "Here, have my mostly rotten leftovers!" LOL. Anyway, when one gets handed out of season plums, arrange them in a caramel sauce and bake a cake around them. I thought this turned out pretty, and it was the first day. Settled into ugliness next day but oh so delicious!

I took Wed-Friday off this week. Yesterday, I did pretty much nothing, except realize that one of the cats had anxiety on the 4th and peed somewhere. Turns out it takes about four days for the smell to become noticeable to me, and I have a good nose. Found it, in W's room and thankfully on a towel, so easily remedied. W and I also walked a couple of miles to a feed and farm supply store. Ogled the baby chickies and a couple of the young, hottie-patottie employees who stopped to have a hello with W. Who did not bite them, btw! Hooray. People who he doesn't go after always look at me like I'm nuts when I warn them. As long as he approaches them, it's okay. It's the leaners that he does not like.

Then I decided that my hair wasn't short enough so I went at it with the shears again. SOMEhow I ended up with an a-line lob. I genuinely have no idea how I did it, and hopefully it looks okay because right at shoulder level is about as short as I can get when cutting it myself. I'm not mad at it. We'll see if anyone who knows me notices. For reference, before I started hacking a month ago, the hair was mid to lower back length. I'm really too old for that, but alas, I am also really too cheap to pay $40 for a haircut.

Today I went shopping for vegetables, then attempted to rake the lawn of moss but yesterday during the somewhat frantic search for pee stains I mucked up my back and you know what? The raking motion is murder on a strained lower back. Pulled weeds instead, which is also murder but I ain't got nobody - nobody... ;)

Walter decided today's walk would be around the block, then around the block, then around the block, then... you get it. LOL, we literally just looped around multiple times. When we were done he looked at me, all, "What, is that it?" like I hadn't just given in and let him go wherever he wanted and it was HIM who chose the route.

Decided I wanted a grilled cheese for dinner. Didn't buy bread at the store, didn't have any on hand and it was too late to make a loaf - at least to eat tonight. So, baking a loaf right now. It's white whole wheat and seems dense, but dense is what I usually get if I'm going to be honest. I tend to over-knead, I think. It's still going to taste ah-mazing.

Stopped in at a new little bakery. Spent a ridiculous sum for two shortbread cookies and a cupcake, as one does at a boutique bakery. I like to support local at least once, but the proprietor is the type to garnish baked goods with edible flowers and that's something I just really don't get. I'm a simple gal. I may take a guest there, but probably won't be a regular.

Hope everyone (the 1.5 of you out there) are doing well.

TTFN.

Am baking Amish Friendship Bread - I found a recipe that doesn't require the starter and all the hassle that comes with it. I have no idea if it's going to taste the same, but oh my. Cinnamon is magical. My house smell amazing.

Maybe photos later - nope. Epic quick bread fail. Smells good, sank like a stone. Will have to try again with this one.

Not many taken this week. It was rotten weather yesterday, complete with gale force winds and sideways rain, so I didn't take my usual jaunt out into the world. It's more of the same today. Tomorrow is supposed to be sunny and near 70F. That's some whiplash weather for ya!


I ran out of lemon curd at the end, just so happened to have made a strawberry sauce not long before.

( Snakes, no ladders. Fair warning! )

Ooh, it's not raining or blowing right now. I should get out there!

Eh, more cakey than I'd like (would reduce flour next time), but still tasty!

( Recipe )

Nummmmy. Actually, I haven't eaten one, but the frosting is delicious and the crumbs of the brownies I sampled when I cut them were moist and tasty. I used this base recipe because it's a lazy Sunday and I was lured by the term easy in the title. They were, in fact, easy.

Things I changed, which I already mentioned in prior post:

Used half white whole wheat flour
Used dark cocoa
Cut sugar to 1 1/4 cup
Cut butter to 4 TB
Added half a medium avocado in place of remainder of butter and skipped the oil
Added a bit of milk to loosen the batter (the lack of oil made it thick)

For the frosting, it's a lot of bad stuff. Because, frosting:

6 oz cream cheese
3/4 cup peanut butter
1 1/2 sticks butter (!) <-- probably could have pared this down
2 tsp vanilla
3 cups confectioner's sugar

Ugh. The backhoe was removed today, and presumably they are working on smoothing out the dirt this weekend...I still have to wonder why they couldn't find anywhere else to dump this dirt. :(

In other news, in the paper yesterday a report about local golf club proposing to the State that they trap a majority of the elk herd wreaking havoc on their links and relocate them. The State's response: don't be idiots, no.

In other, other news, I made a batch of cupcakes for a colleague, whose church is doing a picnic bake auction. I made dark chocolate cupcakes, sinking a mini peanut butter cup in the middle of them prior to baking, then piped on peanut butter cream cheese frosting. I wanted to try one a LOT. The cupcakes themselves were vegan and they looked gorgeous:

( Hello, beautiful )

So, yeah, I am still baking. I've just failed to share pictures and recipes lately. :) With these, I so wanted to crack into one to make sure the PB cup didn't melt into the cake. I froze them for a short while, but didn't have time for them to get solid. Oh well. Even without them, I am confident the cakes taste great.

The plan was to make these Salted Caramel Stuffed Chocolate Crinkles, because I love a good crinkle and the caramel filling - well.

However, I didn't have any soft caramels. I also didn't have the gumption to walk to the store to pick some up, and I did have sugar, butter and cream and the tenacity to try to make my own after many failed attempts. Seriously, people, caramels shouldn't be so hard to make and yet... I went and bought a candy thermometer years ago for the express purpose and I never managed to make it work. I did this time, and I didn't even use the thermometer, which actually broke a couple of weeks ago when it decided to swan dive onto the floor.

Anyway. I whipped up a batch of soft caramels. They turned out great!


( But then. )

I wish I were independently wealthy, because I really, really, really didn't want to go to work this morning. It wasn't so bad once I got there, but you know what apparently hit the fan while I was out. I'm glad I wasn't there for it. It was apparently ugly and grown-ass people were acting like pre-schoolers at full moon time.

Anyway, I used my return to work as an excuse to bake. Behold, blueberry pie baked doughnuts:





^The look Pickle gives anyone who doesn't think the doughnuts look marvelously tasty.

I've started my upstairs painting project - soon that baby poo brown will be obliterated from that space (and maybe down in the small hallway too). I did the window upstairs ... and lost track of The Pickle, who of course HAD to hop on the sill when the paint was still gummy. Then she tore off like the naughty thing she is, leaving paw prints in her wake. *sigh*

When I peeled the tape off, some of the wall paint came with it. This is a problem - I don't have matching paint. This is the area I've tried to find the matching remnants down stairs. It's fifty shades of brown, and none of them are right. I fear this means I'll have to repaint the whole freaking upstairs and stairwell. I hate painting!

That said, the window looks 400 times better now that it's not baby poo brown. Tomorrow I'll work on the two closets. I'm also hoping to redo the stairs. It's all brown. I want the risers to be lighter, keeping the dark on top. I know how to spend my vacation time!

Oh, and have a cupcake:


Not the prettiest girl at the dance, but tasty. Lightly cinnamon vegan cupcake with vegan peach curd filling, with whipped cream cheese frosting. OMMMMMMMNOMNOM.

( One more pic )


And speaking of pickles, when I was in the city I stopped at Trader Joe's to stock up on treats (I like TJ's but even when I was near one, I didn't typically rely on them for the produce part of my groceries - I HATE their overpackaging, and the prices are not that phenomenal. I digress.). I saw a bag of pickle-flavored popcorn. I quite like dill pickle potato chips, so I figured I would give it a shot.

Holy badness, Batman. Not good at all. I'm not one to toss food out, but I'm afraid the pickle popcorn is a definite no for me. Blech.