January 31st....22º

Our predicted storm hasn't arrived yet but it looks like we are in for a snowy week...Should be a good time to practice some more baking and cooking...Maybe check out the King Arthur Baking site that Bobi has been playing with or practice on some more Thai salad rolls...I made veggie beef soup for our dinner yesterday out of leftovers and now need to think ahead to make comfort food that goes with stormy days...I think chili over baked potatoes is on todays menu.

Pam and I did a makeup swim day yesterday, always fun to join a different group, visiting old friends and seeing new faces...Off to write group and WT on this snowy day....Wondering what February is going to bring?...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

I think the "tree skirts" are going to get added to today.

Fun Evening...14º

Invited J B & P to taste test my latest cooking (no cooking involved)...After eating Thai salad rolls at the Thai restaurant in Enterprise I decided I had to try making them, just because I loved the peanut sauce sooooo much...I made two peanut sauces and wrapped up thin slices of carrot, cucumber, pea pods, red pepper and avocado in the rice wraps...Followed instructions from the web, but it will take more practice to get the little bundles tight, so all the stuff doesn't fall out...Always up for a challenge and something to eat, no problem as they were all quickly devoured...Ended the evening with chocolate cake and a game of 5 crowns...Hugs to all...OWAV:)

wrapped

ready to eat.

Perfect weather for reading...11º

A super frosty morning greeted us early yesterday, with sunshine and blue sky to follow...I snapped a few photos of this frosty world before a slight breeze created a "frost storm" leaving the branches naked...This morning looks much the same, but Herb says we have a warming trend in our future...That would be nice.

My two most recent books...."Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk," good story very entertaining..."The Little Old Lady Who Broke All the Rules," not so good, way too much detail, borders on the ridiculous, I finally gave up after reading/skimming half of the book.

I will only mention that I made biscuits on Friday from new recipe, much like hockey pucks....Used the old recipe yesterday and not light as a feather but delicious...Hugs to All...OWAV:)

The latest biscuit...22º

Herb and I were so happy with the outcome of "the biscuits" yesterday that they became dinner...I still used the recipe I got many years ago because I have some idea about how this dough should feel and be handled...Also after talking to a couple of friends (old time sourdough bakers) about sour dough baking I wanted to experiment...They talked about pinching off balls of sticky dough, instead of patting out and cutting biscuits...They also talked about a light biscuit...I used my potato water starter as it had worked quickly and had a pleasant yeasty/sour/ potato fragrance...I think in my concern over getting to much flour into the dough I maybe didn't have enough...They were very sticky and fragile, but they raised nicely, and soon were ready for the oven...Even though the texture (crumb) was a bit course, they smelled wonderful, and the course texture soaked up butter like a sponge...We each finished off two of them alternating between butter and jam and honey butter...What is that saying, "Ambrosia for the Gods?"...Maybe, maybe not but they worked for us, mere mortals....Hugs To All...OWAV:)

PS...Not today but maybe tomorrow, I will try following my newest sourdough recipe to the letter (I have a hard time following a recipe, I always want to change it) and start to get a feel for that dough.

Ready for the oven.

Ready to sample.

Social...20º

A totally social day yesterday, write group, then water therapy and then lunch with friends...People, friends make the world go round....A day surrounded by mostly upbeat people and it reinforced my thinking that I need to distance myself from Facebook at least for awhile...A place that right now leans toward the doom and gloom, drama, half truths, outright lies and the "sky is falling" mentality...The media thrives on this crap and people believe, repeat and share the "News" like it is gospel.

So everyday I will search for a bright spot, a good deed, laughter, a ray of sun as well as the beauty that  surrounds us...The almost two feet of snow that blankets the ground, (next summers water) the single digit temps, (freezing the garden pests) icy roads that keep us home, (saving gas) and give thanks everyday for the country we live in, our warm cozy house, ample supply of food and a stack of books to keep me company...Now I think I will go start another batch of sourdough biscuits!...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Lazy...24º

I spent time yesterday reading my new sourdough recipes and feeding my sourdough starters, (I have three working actively)...The newest one I started with potato water and in a couple of days I will made my regular 6 (5 go in the freezer) loaves of sourdough bread that we use everyday for toast and sandwiches...It is not a traditional sourdough but suits our purpose as it tends to stay moist without molding, slices easily and holds its shape...I start with bread and whole wheat flour, add the "starter" and water, then add small amounts of flax, oatmeal, cornmeal, maybe quinoa, chia, depending on my mood, throw in salt, a bit of instant yeast and a glug or two of molasses...This is kneaded for 10 minutes in my Bosch mixer and is a very stiff dough...Let it raise a couple of times before I shape into loaves and place in loaf pans...Sometimes I add raisins/craisins to a pound of dough for special cinnamon toast...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Biscuits/Hockey Pucks...20º

My first attempt after a sourdough class and a new recipe...The biscuits raised nicely and had some layering but they were very crusty around the edges, a bit heavy and dense...A tangy sour dough flavor was tempered with butter and a dollop of homemade plum jam...For my first batch, how about a C+...I measured accurately but my starter was quite thick so I think less flour, next time, will make a difference...Herb said, "They are somewhere between hockey pucks and biscuits, so feel free to practice some more."

So since baking is fun for me I will play with this new recipe, using less flour, getting a feel for the dough, maybe adjust the oven temperatue a bit and see what happens.

Just out of the oven

Ready to serve.

For comparison I have included (below) the photo of the sourdough biscuits that I made last week and served to company...But remember those biscuits were made after years of working with the recipe, getting a feel for the dough AND the basic recipe has milk instead of water for the liquid, making a richer dough.

Biscuits from last week.

 Wondering what we might have for dinner yesterday I again was into the dough with both hands...Since I love to experiment here goes:

1 cup bread flour in a bowl, make a well, add 1/2 cup working starter, 1/2 tsp instant yeast, 1 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp salt and 3 tbl cream...Gently incorporate the flour into the liquid forming a soft dough, knead about 5 minutes...Let raise until double, roll dough to desired thickness, put on a greased cookie sheet, brush with oil and let raise...For the sauce I used home roasted tomatoes, that I have in the freezer, diced them fine and liberally scattered over the crust, added other toppings including sausage, cheese, peppers, onions, olives and broccoli...(more toppings than I needed!) Cooked for 20 minutes at 425º.

Pizza with an excellent crust peeking out!

My e-book of recipes arrived in the mail this morning but I made myself write this blog before looking at it...Join me tomorrow to see what happens...Did Oma clean house, plan meals for the week or play in the dough?...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Sourdough Class...24º

Having struggled with sourdough baking for many years, when a class was offered in downtown Joseph I jumped at the chance...Lynne Curry is a well known author/chef now living in our small town after marrying a Wallowa County native...I took her pie crust baking class a few years ago and came away with a new recipe and new ideas...I enjoyed the class, the comraderie and the sampling.

I was not disappointed yesterday, with six people in attendance, Lynne gave a well organized presentation, time for lots of questions and much more information than I could digest...She had prepared in advance, a sourdough/apple cake and pancakes, for us to sample...She talked about using different flours/grains for your sourdough starter and how to make bread, biscuits, cakes, so many things using sourdough and how to feed and care for your sourdough starter...She demonstrated making biscuits, that we all sampled at the end of the class...We all came away with starter in a pint jar that we added flour and water to...Mine is bubbling away on the counter as I write...We will receive an ebooklet later this week with recipes.

I just happened to have a working sourdough so this morning I have biscuits rising for our breakfast...Herb is doing bacon and eggs to go with them and you will have to read OWAV tomorrow to see if we had biscuits or hockey pucks for breakfast...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Rising

Odds and ends.

Wintry Mix...24º

I like this term "Wintry Mix." Conjures up all kinds of images in my mind, such as big fat flakes of snow, wind, cold changing to warm as the snow turns to rain and things begin to thaw...Sun was added to our "wintry mix" yesterday and the roads were bare and dry on the drive home from water therapy...When I arrived home, Herb had a garden hose hooked up to hot water, to melt some of the ice from around the wheels of the Subaru and wash off some of the road grime...Just because the roads were bare doesn't mean that our snow/ice has melted but the ice had softened enough that I could scrape and shovel it off of the deck and sidewalk on the southwest side of our house, making it safer to get from house to car!

Leftovers of tuna casserole were ready to warm when I got a face time call from Bobi...She is in the middle of prepping for a chocolate dipping party with friends and having problems with the "fondant."..We had a fun visit as she caught me up on "the week from hell," as they lived through a Portland storm that dumped a foot of snow, melted enough to make an icy, rutted mess of the city streets, then turned to freezing rain, keeping them housebound with cabin fever, plus she had the CRUD, for about 5 days...I'm sure it felt like much longer...Anyway they survived and Cienna is finally back in school after her extended break and this term she is enrolled in a scuba diving course...That girl is always up for a new adventure.

Checking the weather this morning it looks like the major winter storm that has wreaked havoc on the state of Oregon is finally subsiding...I 84 is open from Portland to Ontario as of this morning and secondary roads are passable...Cleaning up will be major with the downed trees, caved in buildings, huge snow banks, layers of ice are just a few of the problems...Snow is still in the forecast but seems mild compared to the last couple of weeks...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Comfort Food...29º

More icy snow overnight, looking at the road reports Union County is still windy, icy, snowy and cold...Roads are intermittently opened then closed...Schools are closed or on a two hour delay...Wallowa County hasn't posted anything yet and it is hard to tell just by looking out our windows, how slick it might be...Forecast for the next week is snow and temps in the mid 20's for a high...With weather like this for my topic today, I have picked comfort food.

On Sunday I fixed comfort food and invited friends to join us...Roast beef, mashed potatoes/gravy, lemon green beans (a new recipe), salad, sourdough biscuits and pie...All of these things are easy for me except the biscuits...Many years ago at a potluck dinner I ate the most incredible biscuits ever and asked for the recipe...The recipe was hand written, with good directions...I couldn't wait to try them...They turned out like bricks!..I knew virtually nothing about sourdough, so over the years, I've researched talked to old timers, and tried the recipe again and again...Over the years the biscuits improved but never like the biscuits I ate that day, many years ago...So on Sunday, knowing that my friends will eat my bread, no matter how it turns out, I tried again...For the first time, the biscuits really raised and in the oven they raised even more...The biscuits were wonderful!...I'm sure I need more practice and just saw a class advertised on FB that's all about sourdough to be held this Saturday in Joseph...I think I will sign up, never to late to learn...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

PS...Many thanks to Cassie Botts for the sourdough biscuit recipe.

So Many Books...25º

A little icy snow overnight here in Joseph...As I looked out at 4am this morning, it was hard to tell just how slick it might be...Road and business closures in Union County are numerous because of the wind and freezing rain moving eastward, overnight...We have snow in the forecast for today...Word from Bobi in Portland, they finally had a thaw and Cienna should be able to return to school today...Her winter break was extended about 10 days...Looks like another good day to break open a book.

I finished "Hidden Figures" and enjoyed reading about the years from 1943 to the 1970's...It is about the "Cold War," the race to win the war by improving our airplanes, then continues on to the "Race into Space," as the US tried to stay ahead of the Russians...It is also about segregation...The book is written using terms popular then (instead of politically correct), such as "colored girls" and "colored computers" and "Negros," instead of African Americans...Colored Computers was a new term to me and means, Negro Women who were mathematicians working at Langley Field, (doing all of the computations with basic equipment, slide rule, adding machines etc.) that was needed to improve our flying machines and later the rockets that launched our astronauts into space...The names of the Negro women in this book will not be familiar names from US history, because they were not given credit for their work...The white, male engineers received the credit.

I have two ebooks on my computer "The Little Paris Book Shop," a novel, only on chapter 4...."Lost Dogs and Lonely Hearts," this is just a mindless read, but entertaining...On the stand next to my chair is "When Breath Becomes Air." True story, not an easy read, 36 year old neurosurgeon diagnosed with terminal cancer, might take me awhile to get through this one...Enough for today, feel free to make comments and let me know what you are reading, always looking for a good book...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Books...4º

Things to do when a real winter surrounds you; Sort the file cabinet, edit and cleanup your password book, reduce photo collection to half, clean closets, cupboards, deep clean or even surface clean, get serious about editing and organizing my memoir chapters and continue to write a daily blog...All of these things need to be done in our house!..But what have I been doing?...Reading, reading books on line, reading books from my stash, reading books loaned to me by friends...These books range from healthy eating, cookbooks, novels, memoirs and mysteries...It doesn't matter, I just love to read!

I made no new years resolutions because I never follow through on them and all of the things listed above can be done or at least started sometime this year, either doing a through job or doing just enough to make it through another month or year...Except for one thing, daily blogging...Did I get burned out on daily writing or did I think that people were getting tired of hearing about what we had for dinner, that my latest batch of bread (door stops) wasn't up to my usual standards, or we shoveled snow for the umpteenth time over the last 3 days and that the weather has been miserable and cold?

So I've come to the conclusion that for the past 5 years (when I started blogging) that I write my blog mainly for me and hope that other people read and enjoy it on occasion...I realized this when just yesterday I tried to remember what I did last week...I read, but what else?...Well, nothing earth shaking, just mundane, everyday stuff...But I do enjoy going back for the past 5 years and see on any given day what we did, what we had for dinner, or if we took a trip, even a weather update...So I will be more diligent about blogging, mostly a daily journal, recording our days, mundane, exciting, accomplished, resourceful, memories to look back on and store away for the record...Sometimes I will throw in a story from years gone by or do a photo story or a rant and rave, but most important, I will write....Hugs To All...OWAV:)

PS...Tomorrow I will write about some of the books I've read so far this year.

Deep Freeze...-4 & -16

For about a week Wallowa County has been in a virtual freezer, below 0 at night and never above 10º during the day...I guess the only plus side is that we get sunshine for about 5 hours each day, coming through our south windows...I ventured out on Tuesday and Thursday to water therapy and grocery shopping (veggies) in Enterprise...Our time is spent inside, Herb keeping the wood stove full and both of us working on our daily meals...We both spend many hours reading and playing on our devises.

A notice of power outages in Enterprise this morning, with a "warm shelter" set up by the Red Cross, in the Catholic Parish hall...Looking forward to warming temperature by tomorrow, at least a week of above 0 temperatures, moving into the 20's..Hugs To All...OWAV:)

What to do?...2º

Scrabble games done, 2 cups of coffee finished, Facebook perused (maybe scanned is a better word.) The words "Happy New Year" are front and center from all parts of the world and on the home front are photos of the "Polar Bear Plunge" into the frigid waters of Wallowa Lake...Someone, getting ready to take the plunge, commented that they needed a wakeup call to get rejuvenated for the New Year!..Hmm I wonder if that would have worked for me?

It seems that I am in the "humdrum doldrums" as the New Year starts...Looking back at the start of my blog in January of 2011 and 2012, I was excited and looking forward to the Big Read (then in its 5th year) going to the kick off, movies, lectures, discussions and the grande finale...Also the dog sled races here in Wallowa County were in their infancy and that also peaked my interest...But today i'm content to stay home, read, play on the computer and stay warm and cozy...Can't even get excited about writing this blog and cooking and eating doesn't excite me as, yes, I probably gained at least 5 lbs over the holidays and must get it off!...So looks like I better make a big pot of soup, chop umpteen heads of lettuce and get back with the healthy eating program...It makes me want to cry, when I think of the remaining chocolates...Do I freeze them, give them away or eat them all and make myself sick...😟

The only project that I have started is our yearly photo calendar, it waits patiently for me to finish and hit send to get it printed and back to us...January will be half over by then and daylight will have increased, maybe brightening my mood!..That's me always looking on the bright side...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Brings a smile to my face.