Apple Crisp time

 Every fall I make something with apples. I prefer the apple dumplings but they're harder to make and certainly take more time. A few days ago I bought a five pound bag of Granny Smith apples and I had four apples left from an earlier purchase. Late in the day I thought I'd put together a pan of apple crisp.

I used the Mennonite recipe this time and that's clearly the one Tom prefers. You can find the recipe here.

I think the addition of half a cup of water is a little too much. A  quarter cup makes more sense but it may depend on the moisture content of the apples. This makes an almost-caramel syrup but it's a little wet for me.

 The  dry ingredients after the butter has been cut in will be crumbly.

 The Granny Smith's I bought at Kroger were perfect. I prefer a tart apple for this recipe.

  The shot above is before baking. Pecans are not a part of the recipe but I added what I had. Cracker Barrel makes an apple dumpling that includes pecans and I've always thought the combination with apples was wonderful.

 After baking the "dry" mixture melts into a caramel-like sauce. My oven might  be running a bit hot; some of the pecans are a bit over-toasted. I've known for some time that  the back of my oven  runs hotter than the front.

 I've blogged  about other versions of apple crisp, too. You might want to check on of them out by clicking here, here or here.

Arroz con Leche

 I love rice pudding and I love  Pati Jinich and her Pati's Mexican Table on PBS. I'm a real fan of Create and I watch many of the cooking shows. I rank Pati tops for her enthusiasm and the wealth of easy recipes. She does a great job of explaining what she's doing, too.

 I make rice pudding now and then but I've never managed a creamy version and her Arroz con Leche looked to fit the bill. I'm apparently doing something wrong because again the pudding is not creamy.

 Even so, the flavor is good. The recipe is here.

 What am I doing wrong? I suppose part of the problem is the rice I'm using. She uses a Mahatma white rice. I picked up a bag of long grain rice at the grocery (not the cheapest, either) and we've been eating it in various dishes and like it quite well.

 Otherwise I followed the directions  fairly closely. I used ground cinnamon rather than a cinnamon stick and I used grated orange peel instead of the actual rind of  an orange. I can't imagine either makes a difference in the consistency.

I cooked the rice with two cups of water as the recipe (and the bag of rice) calls for. I added every drop of the four cups of water and also the full 4 ounces of sweetened condensed milk. That's a lot of liquid!

 In fact when the cooking was done, the pudding looked exactly the way I wanted it to. But as it sat and cooled - and especially after refrigeration - it seriously thickened. There's nothing creamy about it. It's thick enough to hold on to a spoon.

 I've made it three times before and I've always had similar results: Try#1   Try#2   Try#3

 Give me credit for traying, at least. I'll get it but I'm not there yet.

DR Takes Me for a Ride in the Harvester

 

 The sun is just rising when I'm out starting my laps just after 8 AM. DR Coffman started harvesting his corn a few days ago and yesterday he did the entire field east of Pinehaven. Today I found the Case sitting at the edge of the field to our west.

 It's a cool 39° and the dew has collected on the corn debris which is lying in the field. I know he'll wait a while for the sun to dry things off a bit before beginning any work today. But it's a sunny forecast so he'll  be harvesting before some rain  arrives Wednesday late.

 I posted these two pictures on Facebook and got a number of suggestions that I ask  DR if I might join him for a pass. It's certainly something I've always wanted to do. But I know he's a busy man, especially now, and I hate to bother him with such a request.

 And yet most tell me he won't mind. So after lunch, when I see him threading the rows of corn, I send him a text message: If you ever have room to take me along for a swipe while you're harvesting corn, let me know! I'd love to see it close up.

 It isn't long before he answers: Come on out.

 And so as he ends a row near Pinehaven I walk over to the grain bins and wait a few minutes for him to  arrive and start unloading corn. He opens the door  and unfolds a ladder and motions me aboard.

 Oh, boy.

 I'm now in the cab protected from the dust as he slides back to the driver's seat and continues unloading  the corn. He moves the harvester back and forth to evenly distribute the load.  And then we turn and head back the field.

 The  Case 2166 is a behemoth to me - though perhaps small by today's standards -  and it looks complicated. But he drives with his left hand on the steering wheel  and his right on a small controller that does heavens-knows-what.

 And so we start west (Pinehaven is on the right). This row of corn is about a third of a mile long and two passes - just once in  each direction - fills the hamper and requires the  corn be unloaded. While it is noisy, it is less noisy on the inside. The stalks of corn slips between the metal guides and disappear at our feet. Kernels of corn are collected behind us; chopped corn stalks and cobs fall to the ground in a never-ending mechanical dance.

 A look  at the controls for the harvester. He steers with his left hand and uses a small controller for various functions of the harvester.

DR Coffman - Farmersville Ohio

 A sincere Thank You to DR for an informative ride and one thing I can now cross off my bucket list. After 35 years of  watching from my window,  I've finally seen a corn harvest from ground zero.

Pinehaven Rice Patties

 

 Mom used to make a rice patty that we both loved. I remember she got the recipe from Kettering Memorial Hospital. They were Seventh Day Adventist and served meatless meals. This one immediately got our attention. Trouble is, I have no idea what happened to the recipe. In fact  Mom only made it a few times. I remember it was a lot of work.

 What to do? I figured I could recreate the recipe if I had some basic guidelines to  follow. So I looked at several recipes on the internet for rice patties. I modified quantities and added (and deleted) ingredients and think it's fair that I call this recipe mine.

Pinehaven Rice Patties

1 cup long grain rice - upon cooking you'll end up with a few cups to work with
    [Note:  Use a nice long grain rice. Do not use a quick rice!]
1/2 small onion
1/2 cup shredded Italian cheese [or whatever]
1/2  cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1/4 cup all purpose flour
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes [optional]
1 cup chopped pecans

 Just follow the directions to cook the rice and then allow it to cool somewhat before continuing (so you don't scramble the eggs).
 I mixed the onions, cheeses, salt, pepper and and red pepper flakes in a large bowl.
 I whisked the eggs.
 Add the rice to the bowl with the onions, etc. and mix thoroughly.
 Add the egg mixture and mix again.
 Finally add the chopped pecans and stir everything together.

 Refrigerate this mixture for half  an hour or so until it's easier to handle.

 Heat s skillet with some vegetable oil. I started on high and backed off to just above halfway to finish them off. It's best to cover them while frying to heat them thoroughly through the middle.
 Use a tablespoon  to gather fistfuls of the mixture and press into a  ball. Mine were an inch to 1.5" thick. Then can be pressed down a bit while frying.
 Add them to a skillet and fry about 7 minutes per side (I like them fairly crispy on the top and bottom)

 This recipe makes an even dozen rice patties.

 Too dark for you? Back off the heat or fry them less time.

Before frying - this is an 8" non-stick skillet

After about 14 minutes

 Tom has to limit his salt intake but I added more salt to mine on  the plate. If this isn't a concern, more salt could be added to the mixture before frying.

 When Tom first saw them he said, "These look just like crab cakes".

 Tom ate three; I ate four (I'm a pig). I have the rest in a container in the refrigerator for later this week. They're an absolute hit as a meat substitute.

Gnomon Experiment

  This is an experiment I try to remember to do every October 8. I’m walking in the neighbor’s lane every morning (weather permitting)  and on that date – if the sun is shining about 8 AM – my shadow exactly hits the middle of the last large tree nearby. The left image is 10/08/13 at 7:51 AM and the right image is 10/09/22 at 8:10 AM. Near enough. Yesterday, when I was set to do the experiment, it was cloudy at sunrise and we also went out for our Saturday morning  breakfast. It means that the Earth is in the same spot in its orbit and the tilt is exactly the same for this line-up to occur. I think it’s a good demonstration of how precise celestial mechanics is.

 I am effectively making myself a gnomon, the vertical piece that stands up in the middle of a sundial that casts its shadow to the time. I suppose I'm demonstrating both time  and date because if neither are the same, standing in the lane my shadow will not shine on this tree but at about 8 AM.

 Click on  the image to enlarge. See my original post here.

How to vent our dryer?

  We've lived here 35 years and had a washer/dryer for most of them. The pair sits on an inside wall for two reasons: 1. There's nowhere else they could possibly go and 2. That's where the electrical and water hook-up's are.

 I've always wanted to vent it outside. Had it been a gas dryer, it would have been required (because of the carbon monoxide risk). But seeing as how our dryer is electric the outside vent might have been convenient but it wasn't required.

 How did I manage venting for all these years? In the early years I vented into water. The idea is that lint will "stick" to the surface of the water. It does. Somewhat. But not well.

 Then I decided a better choice might be to wrap a pair of women's hose  across the outlet pipe and make a sort of filter. It works,  too, though it pushed warm, humid air  against our wood wall and I was afraid it would either stain it or warp it. Even so, I managed many years with that set-up.

  But now  I'm trying a BetterVent®. I bought it from SupplyHouse. Click here for information.

 It easy to install: four screws. And I've used it once and really liked the way it spread the humid air our into a gentle flow through two filters.

 It'd be better to get the vent outside but this is a reasonable alternative for my set-up. Sure, it adds hot, humid air to the house in the summer (a negative) but it also adds that warm air in the winter (a plus). So I think economically it's a wash.

 More about the product can be found here.

Furnace Filter Woes

  I've been changing furnace filters here for 35 years and I've never liked it. Lately I've come away from each change bleeding.

 Here's what the last filter looked like after I got it removed on 09-21. Yes, it was in shreds. And it in turn shredded my hands. That red is blood.

 The slot has never been wide  enough for a 14x20x1 filter. And recently the filters I've been buying fit even tighter than before. They'll  drop down into the slot but they can't be pulled back out. I've tried screwdrivers along the edge and needle-nosed pliers in the center. They just jammed every time.

 So I called Dave and asked if a new holder for the filter could be made. This is what the furnace looked like with the existing filter holder removed  and the filter just taped onto the bottom of the furnace.

09-29

 In just five days Dave brought the new aluminum piece.

 Rather than drop the filter in from above, it's inserted in a track that allows it to slide in horizontally. Much nicer! And the filter size was increased to a 16x20x1 so the air flow should be a little better.

 We've had the furnace on today and all is well. This is going to save my hands ... and my fragile temper.

Flight Radar

  As a kid I used to look up to the sky and watch jets passing and wondering where they were going. For some time now, technology has provided that answer in the palm of our hand: Flightradar24.

 It's available on the web and also as cell phone apps. I use the Android version.

 This morning I saw a very high jet coming towards me from the  east  and I could see that it was passing south of me. It was just a dot in the distance but I pulled up the  app and found that it was flying at nearly 34,000 feet. It was an American Airlines Airbus traveling from Philadelphia to Phoenix. How I'd have loved the kind of information when I was a kid.

 And who would have thought it would ever be available to the man on  the street?

 This is a zoomed shot as the plane just passed me to the south. It was so high I could barely see it and I couldn't hear it at all.

 Flying 530 mph, it was soon disappearing to my west.

 I thought: here I am walking among farmer's field, part of the dark shadows passengers would see if they looked in my direction. The sun was barely risen (and behind a cloud). And yet I could see them heading to the warm Southwest while I exercised amid nearly freezing temperatures.

 It's nice that I can be a virtual part of the travels ... and they mine.

 

First Frost

  It came just five days before the average date of first frost. Usually we see a frost by 10-09 but this year we found a light, patchy frost on the morning of 10-05. That's based on 49 years of my own record-keeping.

 While I didn't see any frost in my yard, as soon as I began doing my morning laps in the neighbor's lane, I found frosty grass lining my walkway. The area adjacent to Clayton Road, by her mailbox, was patchy white, too.

 Here's Millie's yard, also covered with patches of light frost. My Tempest weather station recorded a low of 32.7° at 7:45 AM, exactly when I stepped out the back door for my walk.

 And so we can't avoid thinking about winter. Cold weather isn't far away and the hint of its nearness was clearly etched on blades of grass this morning.

Incredible Sunset

  Last evening (10-01-22) I had already locked the door and turned on the security system when I happened to look up at some of our white curtains and saw that they were glowing orange. It looked almost like a fire was burning outside. I went to a window and saw that the  western  sky was alive with the deepest red I've ever seen.

 So I called Tom, turned the alarm off and headed out the back door with camera in hand.

 Hurricane  Ian had ravaged Florida, crossed the peninsula from west to east, then come ashore again in South Carolina as a renewed hurricane. It then quickly lost its punch and became a low pressure system, staying ever east of us but forcing showers into Ohio as far west as the Columbus area.

 But throughout the day clouds streamed across Farmersville from the east to the west. And at sunset they opened enough for the glow of the setting sun to light these clouds from beneath. As the sun sunk ever further below the horizon, the reds got richer and deeper.

 But as Tom and I stood beside the garden, they also quickly faded. Still, it was a sunset to remember, all thanks to the remnants of a hurricane.

Autumn Walks

  I walk in the morning most days when the weather isn't too bad. And even then I walk with an umbrella if possible, I probably haven't missed more than a couple of days all summer. Winter will be the test of my dedication. But for now the sights on my neighbor's third of a mile long lane is enough to keep me interested.

09-02-22

 This young deer is often  standing beside the corn field, apparently eating until I arrive. And then she stands and watches as I pass. I see her legs tense up as though she's getting  ready to run but even when she does she doesn't go far. Either the corn is too tempting or I  am not scary enough.

09-10-22

 One Saturday morning I had to walk earlier than usual because we were joining my brother for breakfast at 7:30 AM. I walked in the moonlight. It was a bit eerie but there's no one else around so  I just enjoyed the quiet stillness of the early morning.

09-13-22

 When I walk - usually I begin about 7:45 AM - the sun is almost lining up with the lane as it moves south in September.

09-15-22

 I often see this mother and daughter together.

09-15-22

09-20-22

09-26-22

09-30-22

10-01-22

 What was once Hurricane Ian has come close enough to us to stream clouds into our area (but not rain) so my walk this morning was increasingly overcast.

Panorama -  10-01-22

 This panorama shows my entire view. You can see both in front of me (center)  and behind me (left and right). I've been walking in this lane for many years and appreciate that the neighbor allows me to take my daily exercise here.

Another Bundt

  No homemade dessert. That's the type of lunch I don't like to have. But what? I fairly quickly decided on a vanilla Bundt cake. I made one earlier this year (here) and liked it well enough to make it again.

 I'll have to say that it's a bit of a dense cake and something lighter might be better. But it fit the need for something homemade and it's an easy recipe to make, I've given a couple of slices away but Tom and I still have a little more than either of us need.