I Am More Exalted By ... [quote]

 

Simple White Bread

  I haven't bought a loaf of bread at a grocery for some time now. Every week, when my last two loaves are about to run out, I bake a couple more. I've found, though, that none of the recent bread I've baked gets quite as high as I'd like ... nor does it have the yeasty aroma my mother's bread had when I was a kid.

 I also wanted a bread that used eggs. None of the recipes I use make use of eggs. Why is that? I'd think they'd add an appealing yellow color to the bread and also add a layer of richness.

 I found a recipe called Simple White Bread at JennyCanCook.com. Click here to see it.

I also wanted to use up a couple of ingredients that I was storing in the refrigerator: Half & Half and RapidRise yeast. Why couldn't I use the Half & Half instead of regular whole milk? And I had just a single pack of RapidRise yeast but I wanted to make two loaves. I just used a pack of regular active yeast, too.


Because I was partly using regular yeast, I figured two rises would be needed (about an hour and fifteen minutes each). I'd say that was too long. The dough rose too well and the center of each loaf collapsed slightly as it was baking. It wasn't a major defect.

I doubled everything so I could make the second loaf.

Bottom Line: I love the light, airy texture of this bread but I still don't notice a strong yeast taste. I suppose it's me. Our taste buds aren't as sharp as they were when we were kids. I also don't see that the eggs have yellowed the bread. I'm surprised at that.

But overall this is a better bread than I've been making. I like the larger slices. This is the one I'll be making again.

Old Fashioned Coconut Cream Pie

  I'm a sucker for sweets and with Thanksgiving just two days off I decided to make a coconut cream pie. But which recipe? I decided on one at allrecipes.com. Click here for details.

 It's easy as can be and the filling it produces has a subtle coconut taste, not overpowering.

 Having never made it before I was a bit concerned about how liquid the pudding was when I began to cook it. It thickens beautifully, though, just as it begins to boil and then sets firmly in the refrigerator.

 Unlike come recipes I've used in the past, this one actually makes enough filling for a single deep-dish pie crust. When I add whipped topping just before serving, it'll be a real mound.

 I used a frozen commercial pie crust because I've found I can't do better. The frozen crust requires baking prior to use. I can make a nice crust just fine but I've not found it to be worth the trouble. If you prefer homemade from top to bottom, have at it. For me it's more trouble than it's worth.

 Did I say the coconut filling really really fills a pie crust?

 So here it is, ready for the whipped cream and a sprinkling of the reserved toasted coconut. Tom's going to make a veggie lasagna this year but at least the dessert is all ready to go.

The Heavens Attract Us ... [quote]

 

Third Time Raking

  When I came back from doing laps in the neighbor's lane, Tom was raking leaves on the north side of the house. It's a big project so I grabbed a rake and began to help. We've been at it for hours (we broke for lunch) and decided that that was enough for today.

 There's still plenty of leaves in the trees - though mostly the lower limbs - so our work is not done. In fact we'll  also be making more work on Thursday when we clean out the gutters. Why Thursday? It's supposed to be sunny and 80°. That'll be hard to beat. I'm usually fishing soggy leaves out of the gutter that are half frozen.

 The past two days have given us over two inches of rain and we didn't want to leave the thick mat of leaves on the lawn any longer than necessary. We've raked twice before this season but there always seem to be more in a day or two.

 After finishing the north lawn, Tom wanted to keep going so we moved to the south lawn nearest the house. The other south lawn, nearest the neighbor's lane, only has a hackberry dropping leaves and those seem to blow away on their own.

 Atop the kitchen roof are plenty more leaves. And the lower branches of the maple are surely not bare. But a leaf picked up is a leaf that doesn't need to be picked up again. These were wet leaves, heavy to move, but we carried them to the garden where we'll turn  them into the soil before winter arrives if the weather permits. They're great, free mulch.

 Here's a view of the garden. It's probably buried under a foot of leaves in places. In  the foreground is Tom's tree nursery. We have them growing in the garden until they're large enough to move to a final spot. We have them in wire cages as some protection from the deer.

 So our fall work continues and I suppose it won't be quite finished until the first snow flakes fly.

Bill's Cornbread

  I love cornbread and I often buy a box of my favorite commercial mix: Krusteaz Honey Cornbread. It couldn't be easier, needs very little added and I think the taste and texture are the best of any I've tried.

 But sometimes I want to make my own. If for no other reason, it's cheaper.

 I usually follow the directions on the box of corn meal. I buy Kroger's brand. I'm happy with their cornmeal but I've never been satisfied with the recipe. I wanted something cornier and something sweeter.

 So today I made a pan that I modified.

Bill's Cornbread

• 1-1/4 cups cornmeal
• 3/4 cup flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2-1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup milk
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil

 I baked this in a greased 8" square glass pan at 400° for 25 minutes. During the final two minutes or so, I turned my boiler on high and rotated the pan half-way through. This browns the top better.

There's plenty of disagreement about what makes great cornbread. I've always preferred what's considered a "northern" version: sweeter and perhaps a little more cake-like. Here's an interesting discussion. Cracker Barrel's, in my opinion, is more of the "southern" variety.

This recipe is much closer to my ideal cornbread. I wanted more of a corn taste, a texture that is more yellow, and I certainly wanted it sweeter. This answers to all those desires.

Old-Fashioned Apple Dumplings

  When Bob and I were kids, Mom always knew to make apple dumplings if she wanted to give us a real treat. I haven't attempted it since she died but with the apple season in full swing, I thought it was about time I gave it a shot.

 Tom and I stopped by Crossroad Orchard in Miamisburg a few days ago. Sadly they were marked "closed for the season". Not to be discouraged, we drove to Meijer's and found more apples than we'd know what to do with. We picked a variety of six beautiful Michigan apples (total cost $1.58). Each was tagged and I suppose I should have kept track of which apple dumpling was which ... but I didn't.

 The apples I used were Golden Delicious, Red Delicious, Rome, Empire and Jonathan. Just chose tart or sweet apples according to your taste.

 I used the recipe in Mom's Mennonite Community Cookbook. It's posted on the web here.

 Before I even began, I invested in an Oxo Apple Corer. I'd highly recommend this model. The stainless steel "blade" cuts into the apple easily and the core just slides out without effort. Apparently Mom used to use a knife but I prefer not to handle sharp objects in this way (plus I'm a klutz).

 It's less than $10 and available at Amazon by clicking here.

 The core is small enough not to waste much of the apple. I suppose a few seeds might be left behind but they can be easily removed while eating the dumpling. I remember Mom missing a few seeds so it'll be like old times. As for the peelings, Tom ate those.

 This is how the dry ingredients look after the shortening has been cut in. It's a little crumbly. Then the milk is added and the mixture worked a bit with the fingers then poured out on a pastry cloth to roll.

 Note: I found 1/2 cup of milk insufficient, I ended up using 3/4 cup to get the mixture damp enough to clump together and work. I also used a whole teaspoon of cinnamon and that seems right to me. I did not use any nutmeg.

 Here's the cored apples in the greased pan (above) ready for the sauce to be added. Keep the openings to the core accessible since some of the sauce should be poured into them.

 Now, with the sauce added, the apple dumplings are ready for the oven.

 I baked them for 35 minutes but when I make them again I'll  use the 40 minute suggestion. These were large apples and while they are certainly baked, they're also a bit more firm than I would choose.

 The finished dumplings look beautiful. As you can see, the dough retracted a bit in spots but I like the rustic look it gives them. I wasn't striving for perfection.

 Upon serving, the sauce in the pan can be used to baste the dumpling further. I'll store them in the refrigerator and microwave them a bit just before serving.

Halloween Entertainment

  Tom and I walk the neighbor's lane many days and today we were treated to some Halloween entertainment.

 I first saw this dark object in the distance, black fabric dancing in the breeze. It's just good the day was well begun because I wouldn't have wanted to come upon this in the dark!

 Having completed a length and started back out the lane, this foot was embedded in a tree trunk.

 Pinehaven is in the distance on the far left among the stand of trees.

 Finally there was this witch, crashed face-first into a power pole. The white hair, moving in the wind, made it seem that much more real.

 Halloween decorations courtesy of the Erisman family. They had a final fall party last evening.

Fall Colors Peak

  I figured our extreme dryness (only 0.75" in the last 40 days) would put an end to any hope of a colorful autumn. It's been too warm. But I was wrong.

09/30

 By the end of September some promising golds began to show on the maples. This shot is of the late day sun shining through limbs of the maple nearest the kitchen window (north of the house).

10/01

 A look at the south side of the house showed equal promise, especially the large maple on the left.

10/01

 Here's a closer look at the  same tree. The top areas in particular were beginning to go gold.

10/08

 A week later and this same tree, now viewed from the second floor bathroom window, was awash with brilliant colors. Even without looking out a window, the golden hue permeates the house, as though there is a nearby fire. It is beautiful but it is also a bit frightening. How can anything so deep green suddenly switch to this shade? If we had never seen fall colors before, we'd drop everything and cry.

10/08

 Same tree again - now from ground level -  shows its carotenoid pigments. The chlorophyll is gone for this year. The colors are a science to themselves.

10/08

 As I start back the neighbor's lane for my daily laps. Pinehaven sits chilled in the early morning air while the trees all stoke the fire.

10/08

 The north maple - looking up from ground level - still holds most of its green and gold leaves. But not for long, I'll wager. Give them a week and the tree will stand bare until next April.

10/08

 This maple is at it's golden peak. It will soon darken and  drop its leaves, almost overnight. Tom and I will man rakes and complete our yard work for another season.

10/10

 And two days later, the darkening has begun. Of course the sky is cloudy, too, and that deepens the final shade. It is a hint of the short days, the darker days of winter to come. But for these few final moments, we attend a magic show, science doling out its hidden liquids that were there all the time.

 The rabbit was already in the hat.

Two More Pines Down

  The pines continue dying. It's mostly the changing climate, I think, though Tom says these trees are old enough that I need to expect them to expire. I planted most of them about 32 years ago.

 Nine days ago I called Dave with Joe's Tree Service. We always have him do our work: best prices and excellent work. The clean-up afterwards can't be beat, either. He sent me a text this morning that a larger job was cancelled due to the predicted high winds (up to 40 MPH) but that my job was small in comparison and could he come today?

Dave started with the spruce at the northern edge of the property, adjacent to Clayton Road. I'd say both trees were in the twenty foot range, too big for Tom and I to tackle. And this one was  too close to the power lines; the other was too close to the house.

 He starts by taking off all the side branches. A worker on the ground collects them as they fall and runs them through a chipper/shredder.

 Tom provides ample supervision ...

 Within 10 - 15 minutes the tree was down.

 He cut several large sections while still upright, dropped them to the ground and then cut them into manageable logs there. He cut the stump so close to the ground I can easily mow over it. Bravo!

 Now to the tree alongside the driveway. We might have been able to do this one except for it being so close to the house. A mistake would be costly. And the electric chain saw we have has but a 14" chain and this tree would have been on the ragged edge of possibility.

 Dave used the same procedure for both: take off the side branches then begin cutting the trunk in fairly large sections at the top first.

 I'll miss that tree. It was a beautiful blue spruce but it began dying several years ago and was completely dead this year. A companion tree was removed years ago.

 A bucket truck is a real plus (and probably a necessity for safeties sake).

The logs were left beneath each tree per contract but Tom began moving them all to this pile by the driveway. A neighbor who heats with wood is going to pick them up and haul them away.

 So Pinehaven becomes yet a little less of its namesake.

Next day. Dave cut the stumps off so close to the ground  they're virtually non-existent. How did he do that?

North tree ... South tree