Cream Puffs

  When we were kids I remember mom once making Bob and I cream puffs. I couldn't quite believe she was able to make something so pretty - and delicious. I suppose she made them more than once but I was so impressed the first time that's my main memory.

 Recently I decided to give them a try. And I've actually impressed  myself as much as mom did me.

 They turned out perfectly.

 I used the AllRecipes.com recipe. You can find it here.

 I photographed a few of the steps ...

 This is the finish of Step 4. I was more than a little surprised that only a cup of flour (and water and butter) would turn into a dough like this. I let it cool a little bit before adding the four eggs.

 Here's the dough with the four eggs added (Step 5). I  didn't use a wooden spoon or a stand mixer.  I have neither. A hefty tablespoon works just fine though you have to add a little elbow grease and make sure the eggs are perfectly incorporated.

 The resulting dough is a bit "thin".

 I used a small ice cream scoop to place the dough on a cookie sheet. After I took this picture I went back and added a little more to each. I wanted to use half the dough for the first dozen (I ended up making 22 puffs).

 I let  them in  the oven for the full 25 minutes and at that point they were nicely browned and tested done. Another minute or two would have been fine.

 They were beautifully browned and puffed up perfectly. They feel a bit "hollow" to the touch and, once cool, can easily be torn in half to place the filling inside. A knife is not needed.

 This is the last batch coming out of the oven.

 I have never even heard of "choux pastry" and don't remember it ever being mentioned on the cooking shoes I watch. Google says "Choux pastry (or pâte à choux) is a classic, light French pastry dough used to make sweet and savory treats. Instead of chemical leaveners like baking powder or yeast, it relies on its high moisture content to create steam during baking, which puffs the dough into a hollow shell."

 It works as advertised.

 These are just as I remember mom's. Even Tom, who seldom chooses desserts, like them. Now that I've become familiar with them, I'll certainly add them to my dessert rotation. Tom says he'd like a chocolate filling. Jim tells me a Boston cream version is very good, too.

 

Hackberry Gets a Trim

  At the south side of our property we have a hackberry. I remember many years ago asking a tree trimmer what it was. It's the only one on the property and not a pretty tree. But we get some shade from it and it's been a focal point when I look out my bedroom window.

 Trouble is, it had one major limb that dropped to the east and increasingly got in the way of my mowing. It dipped lower every year. Then, when Tom wanted to plant a seedling oak near it, we decided it had to go.

 But it was a hefty limb, probably weighed tons. How to get it down safely? Tom ordered a new battery-powered chainsaw for starters. And we decided the safest approach for two older guys was to take it down a small section at a time. We started with the leafy portion at the end and then we started working back toward the trunk maybe three feet a time.

 I looked down from my window one day to see a squirrel sitting at the end of the limb. He'd walk out the end, take a disbelieving look, walk back a few feet and then approach the end again as though he was scratching his head at the unfairness of the whole thing. Where did it go?

 Here's where it went. Our wood pile has increased substantially from the lumber from a single limb. The sapwood is extremely white compared to other wood we've cut. It's considered a hardwood and I think, once split, will serve nicely in our fireplace should we need it this winter. So besides shade it might provide some heat.

 Here's the tree with the limb removed. See the stump near the left-center at  the top of the photo? Once Tom got it cut and the sections hauled away on our two-wheeler I painted the cut to offer some protection.

 I'm going to appreciate it next summer even more than now. But our view to the south is already enhanced without that odd limb in the way. It was never balanced with the rest of the tree and balance means everything to me.

Corn Harvest Underway

  Late-afternoon yesterday the farmer who plants the fields around us began harvesting his corn. I think it is incredibly late. Looking through past blogs, in 2008 I found the harvest began on 10/04 (though it continued on 10/27); 2018's harvesting was done on 10/04; and 2022 was harvested on 10/11.

 This is the year the seeds were planted quite early on 04/13 and what I would call killing frosts followed. But the crop looks quite successful from what I've been seeing yesterday and today.

10/18 - 4:29 pm

 Late yesterday I heard the harvester pass the house and looked out the window to see this. He worked in that field until it was dark.

 Here's how it looked early this morning ...

10/29 - 8:10 am

 I was completing my morning walk when I took this shot and the sun hadn't yet broken the horizon. The field looked incredibly empty with only stubble littering the ground.

 Can you see the jet approaching at the top of the frame? That's an Airbus A320 bound from Washington DC to Denver. It took off just 54 minutes before I took the shot. It was at 38,000 feet. I zoomed in for a closer look.

10/29 - 8:10 am

 It silently passed just south of me. I wonder how many souls were onboard and what these farm fields looked like to them?

 Today the harvest continues with the field to my south ...

10/29 - 10:49 am

 I peaked at one ear just to see how the corn had developed and I think anyone would agree it's perfect.

10-29 - 8:00 pm

 Still working on the south field. As they unload the corn dust rises in the bright light. My guess is they're about done for today. The beautiful weather is holding so there is no hurry in that regard.

 Later  ... last evening the field behind our house was started. At least a few swipes were done in the dark. With another day of perfect weather I'm sure the job will be finished today. Here's a section of that west field this morning as I took my walk.

10/30 - 7:57 am

 By the way, I believe since I moved here in 1987 these fields have been worked  by DR Coffman. This year DR has retired and his son-in-law Kenny Lucas has taken over the task. I'd say things are still in good hands.

10/31 - 7:55 am

Hunter's Moon Sets

  I am out doing my early morning laps before 8 am and am startled by the setting Hunter's moon, visible over the unharvested corn. And that is not all that startled me. For once I am not alone.

 This is my first view of the October full moon as I start back the neighbor's lane. It is already setting and won't be visible for long. There is still no sun behind me and the atmosphere is still a dusky dark. I lift my phone to take this picture and see movement about a hundred feet in front of me. It is a fox, I think - though perhaps a coyote in the dim light - and it drifts silently across the lane and disappears into the corn on the south. The corn  is silent with his passage.

 This Hunter's moon, Google says, is named for this: "It marks the time when fields have been cleared by the autumn harvest, allowing hunters to easily spot deer, foxes, and other animals gathering food for the winter". Ah, the fox is even mentioned. But why is the corn still not harvested so late? The ears have all turned  down; it is ready. It has been ready.

 As I near by neighbor's house I seen the moon just  above the western horizon. It will disappear in minutes.

 Last evening  when I went to bed (about 10:30 pm) this same moon was shining in my bedroom window and flooding the blanket with its white light. Throughout the night - for I am getting over a cold and not sleeping deeply - the moon pivots across the southern sky and selects another window as it rounds the house. Parker is sleeping well but the house is cool (I don't have the second floor HVAC turned on) and I lift the blanket and invite her beneath. She accepts the invitation, rattles her collar and disappears from sight, adjusts her position, sighs and is back asleep in mere seconds.

 I soon join her.

Later (10/27):

 The moon is just past full this morning but I don't think it's possible to tell that by just looking. It was full yesterday (10/26) at 12:11 am. It was a cold, white light as I walked just before sunrise this morning. By the way, zooming in on the moon with my phone takes most of the sky out of the frame so that the camera does a better  job of exposing the moon itself. I must remember this.

HAZMAT?

  I have been waiting for a CVS OTC (Over The Counter) medical supplies order since 10/05. Usually they take a few days. It was shipped on 10/08. On that same day I received an email from CVS saying the "Your order is delayed". It had been set for delivery on 10/10.

 So what was going on? All three items were shown as in stock when I ordered them. Tracking history shows it shipped on 10/08 from Missouri. I could drive there in an afternoon.

 The package made a number of unidentified stops, simply shown as "In Transit to Next Facility". On 10/12 it was noted as being at the "Metro NY Distribution Center". New York?

 It arrived today (10/19). The order was placed two weeks ago and it has been in transit for eleven days.

 When the package was at last placed in my mailbox I gained some insight into the delay. The mailing label says "HAZMAT - SURFACE TRANSPORTATION ONLY".

 Hazardous materials?

 Here's what was in the package ...

 Anything there that looks particularly dangerous?

 Here's how Google AI answered my question:

 It would seem the section on "Aerosols and Sprays" is the answer. So CVS was just doing their job. But the rule seems a bit odd to me.

First Frost of the Season

  They've been predicting a "frost and freeze Sunday morning" and they hit it on the head. My Tempest shows a low of 30.7° and when I took my morning walk and delivered Millie's newspaper, the ground was patchy white in spots.

 At least it wasn't windy so the walk in the lane was pleasant. The sun rose at 7:50 am but I didn't see it that early. I was starting back out the lane before 8 am and it was still fairly dark.

 By the way, our average date of first frost is 10/09 so we're over a week late. This is my 53rd year of keeping frost records.

 Here's what I saw this morning ...

 Crinkled leaves along our driveway as I started my walk. There's frost on the edges.

 At the SE edge of our property, the frost lightly coated the ground white.

 Heading back the lane, and in the open areas, the weeds and grasses beside my path were white.

 Millie's yard was the whitest spot I saw. This shot was taken at 7:56 am and the sun was set to rise six minutes earlier. So where is it?

 I'm back, showered and warmed up. Time to drive to Eric's and help his move.

Broccoli Quiche for Lunch

  A few weeks ago Tom brought home a prepared broccoli quiche from Aldi. To say the least it was excellent ... but it was also expensive. About $10 I think he said.

 It's not something we have often. In fact the last may  have been eleven years ago when Tom made a quiche for Mom and I for our Easter meal. Click here to check it out.

 I decided I wanted another. They certainly look easy and that's actually the name for the one I just made. I used the recipe on allrecipes.com, my favorite site. Click here for that recipe.

 The only changes I made was to use garlic power since I didn't but fresh  garlic and I used a bag of frozen broccoli florets from Meijer which were perfect for this use. I baked the quiche the full 50 minutes because I like them done, not watery.

 I had Tom cut the quiche into four slices. They turned out too large to lift out of the pan so he divided them in  half (making an eight slice quiche). That's the proper size. But we each ate a quarter of the quiche. The leftovers will be good another day this week.

 Tom suggests I add fresh mushrooms next time. You'll note that he used  mushrooms in the Easter quiche noted above.

 This is a recipe I need to make more often. It's a rib-sticker and certainly easy when using a prepared crust.