Baking Update

I just wanted you to know that since my last post that mentioned baking (think monster loaf of bread), I've actually had a few successes! And, since I've been in quite the baking mood as of late, I figured this was a good time to share.

So, pictured above is my Saturday morning creation - while waiting for Andy's flight to come in. It is known as Raspberry Cream Cheese Coffee Cake...and I've been told that it's delicious! :)
If it sounds good to you, go ahead and try it:
Ingredients
2-1/4 c. flour
3/4 c. sugar
3/4 c. butter/margarine
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 sour cream (I use yogurt instead)
1 egg, beaten
1-1/2 tsp. almond extract
Filling

1 pkg (8oz) cream cheese, softened

1/2 sugar
1 egg
1/2 c. raspberry jam
1/2 c. silvered almonds

In a large mixing bowl, combine flour and sugar. Cut in butter as for pastry. Remove 1 cup and set aside. To the remaining crumbs, add baking powder, baking soda, salt, sour cream, egg and almond extract; mix well.
Spread in the bottom and up the sides of a 9 in. spring form pan (i just use a round cake pan).
For the filling, beat cream cheese, sugar, and egg in a small bowl; mix well. Pour over batter; spoon raspberry jam on top. Sprinkle with almonds and reserved crumbs. Bake at 350° for 55-60 minutes. Let stand 15 minutes before removing sides from pan. Yield: 9-12 servings.
*My opinion: tastes best after chilling overnight.

Another surprising success - French Bread! I didn't have a camera handy, but I do have the recipe (thanks Janet!)

Janet's French Bread
2 pkg. (or 2 tablespoons) dry yeast
1/2 cup warm water
2 cups hot water
3 tablespoons sugar
5 tablespoons cooking oil or shortening
6 cups flour (unsifted)
1 tablespoon salt

Dissolve yeast in warm water. Combine hot water, sugar, shortening or oil, salt, and half the flour. Add yeast. Beat well. Stir in remaining ingredients. Mix until stirred. Leave spoon in batter and let rest for 10 minutes. Repeat 5 times and turn onto floured surface. Divide into two loaves. Roll each into a 7x12 inch rectangle and then roll as a jelly roll beginning with long edge. Place on greased cookie sheet with seam side down. Slash 3 times with sharp knife. Brush with egg if desired. Let rise under damp towel for 30 minutes. Bake at 400 degrees for 35 minutes.

Last night's baking spree had a sweet result! Peanut Butter Heath Bits Cookies....yes I stole the recipe off the Heath English Toffee Bits bag...and it was worth it. :) I won't type it here, since you'll have to go get the bag of bits to even make them and the recipe will be right there handy for ya.

And...my favorite of all favorites to make...pie. Especially a brand-new kind of pie!
The way this one came about was...we went to his Aunt Barb's for Christmas dinner and they had an Apple-Cranberry pie there. The combination sounded strange, but it was really good! So, as we're eating it, Andy says to me "Hey, do you think you could do something like this except with raspberries?" Sure, why not, right? But....I'm a conformist, law-abider, and recipe-follower, so instead of just making it up, I Googled it. And, lo and behold Martha Stewart has tried such a thing!!
I made two pies, one for us and one for the neighbors. The neighbors called it "absolutely perfect" and Andy declared that it's probably his new favorite! Give it up for Martha Stewart!

Hope and Fear

On my way to class this morning, I walked into the Commons - the hub of the University - and was met with an incredible sight. The most bustling place on the entire campus was...frozen! And there, on a huge projector screen, was our newest President of the United States. Larger than life.
He had just started his inaugural address..."On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord..." I, too, stopped in my tracks to listen.
And, as I listened, I looked around. It was almost time for a typical morning class to begin and students were pouring in the doors on 2 levels of this building, and then their steps slowed and they stopped to witness the beginning of a new presidency. Even the stairways were occupied by students who had halted mid-step to hear from the man who will lead us for the next 4 years.

The next 4 years for a college student often means huge transitions in life and dependency on a strong economy and availability of jobs. Now is a scary time to be graduating...and I could almost feel the mix of fear and hope in that space! But, Obama continued on with some motivation for us all: "Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America. For everywhere we look, there is work to be done." And, who better to do it than the hundreds of us watching him, eager to be a part of all facets of this nation's workforce?

Applause erupted at these words: "We will harness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories. And we will transform our schools and colleges and universities to meet the demands of a new age. All this we can do. And all this we will do." This smallish town of Moscow is so passionate about caring for the environment and living responsibly, and sustainable living is such a focus of our education nowadays, so to hear that kind of support was very encouraging! Also, with all the recent budget crises and 'consolidating' of programs and resources, it is nice to hear that the schools might not be forgotten...

Our new President also managed to instill some patriotism in the crowd as he said, "For as much as government can do and must do, it is ultimately the faith and determination of the American people upon which this nation relies. It is the kindness to take in a stranger when the levees break, the selflessness of workers who would rather cut their hours than see a friend lose their job which see us through our darkest hours. It is the firefighter's courage to storm a stairway filled with smoke, but also a parent's willingness to nurture a child, that finally decides our fate."

So we stood there with some fear of what we may face in our futures, but also filled with a hope that, with our help, positive changes will come about and the dreams we came to school to fulfill can still happen. It will take time, as change often does, but I came away with a sense that we will emerge from our current challenges stronger and more determined to make a difference in the world.

fleet [noun]

: a large group of ships, airplanes, trucks, etc., operated by the same company or under the same ownership

Today, I realized that this is precisely what we have!
A fleet of our own.
How did that happen?!

I think it went something like this...
Andy bought a 1957 Chevy pickup waaaay back before I knew he existed. He was ready for his first Classic Trucks project! He has a very cool vision for it and had made good progress on the frame and suspension when I first saw it. I was going to post a picture of it in its current condition, but it is rather depressing. It resides in the dog run...in many, many pieces. Here it is when we were last working on it 3 years ago (Use your imagination!):
Then...right before we met (Spring '05), Andy fell for a beautiful boat of a car known as The Buick. This one is our summer ride, and we've taken her for drives on beautiful days and to car shows from Palouse Days to Tacoma's Hotrodama. She's been a driver from day 1, but we've spent plenty of hours making her look better and run smoother. She's a keeper!Fast-forward to November '06....Andy had been eyeing this '53 trailer for awhile and his birthday was coming up. I thought it would be a great addition to his collection and would look awesome pulled behind The Buick, so when he opened his birthday card, the title to this Terry Rambler was inside. We will be spending lots of hours on this little project...
Spring '07 found us working on yet another project! The cab and bed of a 1937 Dodge pickup. This one was put on hold for awhile, but as you know, it has made it into the lime light and captured the coveted "in-progress" spot in the shop. This truck will be going places before you know it!
Also that Spring, Andy was looking in the classifieds for a cheap, drivable Honda from the same era as his dad's that he had been driving for the past couple of years. We were engaged at this point and planning to live in one of the small towns outside of Moscow. Since we would be commuting every day to get to work and school, we would need a car with good mpg. This little hatchback fit the criteria! We dubbed it White n' Nerdy. The previous owner left a CD in the player and the number 1 track was none other than Weird Al's White and Nerdy, so every time we started the car - there it was "...Think I'm just too white n' nerdy. Can't you see I'm white n' nerdy. Look at me I'm white n' nerdy!"
Then...May '07. Andy graduated with his Bachelor Degree in civil engineering (whoohoo!) and his dad gave him the car he had been driving. The Honda is still our very reliable daily driver, and has taken us all over the northwest. And...I relearned how to 'drive a stick' with it. White n' Nerdy turned into a backup, and hasn't been needed yet!
But, what has been needed is a truck that's in one piece and has the ability to haul firewood, car parts, furniture, and big game carcasses. Well...today we got a new addition to our fleet!!
Introducing...The Truck:
Watch out backyards, junkyards, and all abandoned "cool" vehicles....here he comes!!
...in approximately 5 years, Andy has purchased, built, or been gifted 7 vehicles....
Did I know what I was getting into when I married this fellow?
'fraid so!
4 of the 7 are more 'project' than 'vehicle', and we have performed some kind of maintenance on all but this newest addition. It's been so fun to learn about them and work on them together over the years!

However....I can say this. When I look out at our backyard, I am very happy that (for the time being) it continues to look more like this....
...than this!!

When it snows, and then rains....

After Christmas, we had a brief break in storms and then it all hit again on New Years and the day after. The snow was nearing our front windows and had buried our front porch yet again. The pic below is of the front of the house. I couldn't get the front door open more than a couple of inches to fit my camera lens thru.
The UPS truck came with our belated Christmas presents (thanks west coast family!!), and the driver told us not to try to go anywhere. The roads were that horrible!
I looked out the back door while eating breakfast and noticed that our little birch tree had lost a limb - just snapped right off under the heavy snow. My attitude said - leave it there 'til the snow goes away and then survey all the damage in the yard and do some serious cleaning up.
Andy's attitude said - hey! check this out! another tree!
Well this storm decided to trade in the snow for some serious rain. 'The rains came down and floods came up', literally. Creeks and rivers all over were overflowing, including our little Four Mile Creek in Viola.
This is the neighbor's house on the corner (raised enough above the ground to escape serious damage), and it was our first sign on our way to work that the waters were high.
The scene got Engineer Andy pretty excited - he actually thinks floods are cool! We had to turn around and go back to the house for the camera to document it.
And, the pic above is Four Mile Creek, at the culvert. It looks more like a pond, than a creek. Last winter, at about this time, I was climbing down into the creek to dig out our trash cans that had blown across the street in the night. There wasn't more than a foot or so of water in it then.
And, a good sign: the empty field across the street. The standing water could have meant trouble, but check out the snow dam built up over the last few weeks by the snow plow and Andy on the borrowed four-wheeler! The water would have to work hard to get thru that and across the street to our front door.
However, by late afternoon the rains had stopped and water slowly receded back to the creek. We haven't got much precipitation since (an inch or so of slush 2 nights ago is all), and the snow is disappearing without more flooding.

To all of you on the west coast, I hope you're drying out ok...


Spring time? Anyone?

It's time...

...for change!
Hooray for a new year! Now we've got new goals to reach, new friends to meet, new places to see, and all that was 2008 can be fondly remembered or eventually forgotten...

Happy 2009 to you all!