There are many beautiful and varied photos of skies across the world at Skywatch Friday. Go check them out.
After missing last week because of camera issues and just running out of time, I am glad to have a really cool photo this week. This is a storm flying over the other side of the vally at dusk – kinda spooky, isn’t it?
Asthma Girl tagged me for this one. It has been sitting in my “to do” pile for too long – doing it today finally and I hope Diane will forgive me for taking so long.
7 things I plan to do before I die:
This is a toughie for me – I can think of 9 things I want to get done in the next 20 minutes, but the rest of my life? I work better under pressure.
1. Keep on realizing what I don’t know.
2. I would like to visit Europe – probably won’t happen though.
3. Get in better shape – a continual process.
4. Lose weight – see above.
5. Become a better photographer.
6. More grandchildren please – I can’t do that myself of course.
7. To never be tired of or afraid to learn something new.
7 things I can do:
1. Throw together a decent meal
2. Crochet
3. Plan a nice garden
4. Read while riding in the car and not get carsick.
5. Usually make a baby stop crying just by picking him/her up.
6. Remember where Larry put his glasses.
7. Bake really good bread without a recipe.
7 things I cannot do:
1. Math
2. High places
3. Follow a recipe the way it is written – have to tweak them all.
4. Play a musical instrument – and I wish I could
5. Convince Riley that the UPS man is not a minion of satan.
6. Remember where I put my glasses.
7. Spiders
7 things that attract me to the opposite sex:
1. His name should be Larry
2. He should be a carpenter
3. He should be about 5 years older than me.
4. He should have blue eyes.
5. And make me laugh.
6. Some things I can’t say – my kids and my Mom read my blog.
7. He should be married to me for 32 years or so.
7 things I say most often:
1. “No Kidding!”
2. “Whatev”
3. “Have I seen what?”
4. “Okay – see that button that says send? Push that and the number of the person who called you last will be right at the top of the list. Now push “send” again. No – not “okay”! “Send”! Push “send”!” [you will notice that my list for the opposite sex mentions nothing about technological acumen]5. Riley!!!
6. “I love you too.”
7. #@*& – I try not to say it, but it slips out anyway. Sorry.
7 celebrity crushes:
I am indifferent to all of them equally.
7 people who need to do this:
1. Egghead
2. Ellyn
3. Trisha
4. Flea
5. Deb
6. Olly
7. TJ
Let’s all play – if you like, in the comments, list just one thing for each category.
Have a great day people!
It was a little jarring this morning to edit a few photos for this post and realize I had to open a new blog photo folder titled, October. I love October. I can’t say it is my favorite month, because truth be told, I can’t choose. I can’t even choose a favorite time of year, because I love each season for different reasons. But, with some of the leaves off the trees, the back yard near the bird feeders is opening up so I can get some shots of birds again.
A little drink to go with your seeds?
Tufted Titmouse. Who named this bird?
The birdbath is a popular destination.
Another reason I love October – Japanese Anemones. This one is actually called “September Charm”. I love everything about it – the pink doesn’t clash with the rest of the colors in this bed, because most everything else is done blooming by now. I love the multi-shade backs of the blooms and the little tennis ball centers and the ruffly little stamens. They’ll even take a frost or two and keep on blooming.
Sometimes the simplest thing can be so good. Crackers are simple. Just a few ingredients, a of couple easy techniques and you can make something that makes people say, “You made these?”. Who doesn’t love hearing that?
If you can make pie crust, you can make crackers. In fact – even if you can’t make pie crust, you can still make crackers. I struggle with pie crust – heaven only knows why. My Grandmother on my Mom’s side lived next door to us and made pie crusts like it was magic – the ingredients floated together and rolled themselves into a perfectly shaped and fluted, flakey masterpiece. I must have watched her make 500 pies, but I can’t even come close to her perfection. Oh well. I can make crackers though!
Today, we’re going to make some together, so we better get going.
You need:
2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt + more for sprinkling on top
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
5 tablespoons cold butter, cut into cubes
3/4 cup very sharp cheddar, grated
ice water – about 4-6 tablespoons 
You can do this in a stand mixer if you like, or use a hand mixer or a pastry cutter, which is that thing in the bowl below. Blend everything except the water. You want to get it evenly blended together, but not pasty at all. The common description for this state is that it should resemble “coarse meal” which would be like corn meal or dried bread crumbs. Using a fork, add the water, beginning with 3 tablespoons and toss the ingredients together, adding more water a little at a time, until you can see the dough beginning to come together in a ball. Better to have it too dry at the start – you can add more water, but you can’t take it out, so take it easy and be patient. 
There can still be a bit of loose dry stuff in the bottom, but if the rest seems to be sticking together well, dump it out on the counter and knead it a bit to get the rest incorporated. Not too much because if it warms up, the crackers won’t be as flaky. It is okay if it seems a bit dry – time will take care of that. Lay a piece of plastic wrap on the counter and place the dough on top, forming it into a flattened disk or rectangle. Wrap and place in the fridge for at least an hour or up to a couple days.
Sprinkle the counter generously with flour and using a rolling pin, roll the dough out. Start at the center of the dough and roll outward, giving it a quarter turn after each roll, to keep things even. You are looking for around 1/8 inch thick. It doesn’t have to be completely even – a little rusticity is fine and even desirable. Once rolled, cut however you like – squares, rectangles, circles or whatever. Scraps can be squished back together and rolled again. 
I like to use heavy baking sheets covered with parchment paper, but you can use foil or just grease the pans very lightly. Lay the crackers out so that is a just a bit of space between them and sprinkle lightly with more kosher salt. Poke each one with a skewer or something which will make that area stick together while the rest separates into layers of flaky, cheesy crunch. Bake at 400 degrees for about 12 – 15 minutes, or until they are puffed and have some nice color on the puffy parts. Cool on a rack as you would cookies. Store in an airtight container – they will keep a couple weeks and actually taste better if they sit for about 24 hours before being eaten. Try them with this Hummus, or maybe some Tomato Jalapeño Jam.
Look at that – way better than Cheezits!
This recipe has been updated and moved to my new blog.
You can no find it here: Refrigerator Pickled Hot Peppers on The Creekside Cook
