Designing in Life

Pear Chips – My New Favorite

Admittedly, this was not my idea.  My friend Martha (no, not that Martha, the other Martha) gave me a plate of these at Christmas, and I fell in love with them.  Trust me, they are very easy.

Ingredients:

Two pears: Your choice of variety, not ripe, nice and hard.
Optional: Sugar of your choice (I used palm sugar).  Salt of your choice. (I used Kosher, but think that sea salt is better)

Preparation:

On the thinnest setting, use a mandeline (you can cut them freehand, but getting them thin is hard) and cut the pears, removing the seeds after they're cut.

Baking:

2 Pears cover 2 trays.  Put parchment on trays.  Layout the pears as close together as you can without too much overlapping.  The pears will shrink considerably, but will dry out better if they don't overlap too much.  Sprinkle salt and sugar "lightly" on pears.
Bake at 200 degrees for about 2 hours, moving and rotating trays about every 20-25 minutes between oven racks.  This helps dry them evenly.  After 2 hours the pears may not seem crisp, but when they are removed from the oven and left to dry, they will crisp up.

Enjoy, and eat fast.  They don't last too long!

 

Happy Spring to All

It's spring on the calendar, but sure is summer outside.  82 degrees for the 20th of March in Vermont is more than a little odd.  I'm not complaining though, because I am taking full advantage of it.

We had visitors this weekend.  Beth, Jim, Chloe and Phoebe came on Saturday and were off for some spring skiing on Sunday.  A short and sweet visit, but we sure did have fun.

Chloe checked out the fossils embedded in the stone on our front pathway.

Phoebe had a ride on Pop Pop's shoulders.

We flew a kite.

And Chloe took many photos of our neighbors.

On Sunday, Nick and I hiked up Snake Mountain.  The bonus for this early spring hike was that there were no black flies.

A perfect day, and a perfect weekend.  Happy Spring!

Spring is in the Air

I say this as the remnants of snow are melting outside from Friday night's snowfall. 

The temperatures are ranging wildly from 20 degrees to (predicted for Wednesday of this week) 68, and the weather is just unpredictable.   What we do know in Vermont, is that March can bring some crazy windy days (today is an example) and that some of the largest snowfalls of the winter season can happen (although there are none in sight for at least the next 10 days).

Here are a few spring sightings.

Peacocks and a peahen crossing the road not covered in snow.

Irises starting to poke out of the ground in search of sun.

Our cat shadow basking in the warm sunshine.

Since the sun is out, and it will be in the 50s by 1:00, I will be working on a spring project today – washing the winter dirt off some of the windows, so that I can enjoy the increasing brightness and warmth of the almost-spring sunshine.

The Eagles Have Landed

The warmer than normal temperatures in our area have brought us some wonderful surprises.  Lakes, rivers and streams have not iced over this year, leaving open water and prime real estate for our large feathered friends.

I drove past these two for a couple of days while on my way to work.  The third day I remembered my camera, but figured they probably wouldn't be there because I had it with me.  I was pleasantly mistaken.

 

A Little Get Away

Nick and I traveled south to visit relatives late last week.  It was my sister, JoAnne's birthday, and we celebrated with my sister Michele, brother-in-law Jon, niece Adrienne and nephew Kevin.

We got to see Beth, Jim and the girls, and visit with Nick's relatives also. (His brother John and sister-in-law Terry were visiting in North Jersey via Minnesota)  While up north, we got to see a few basketball games played by great nieces Lauren and Ali.

Chloe and Phoebe

Close up and personal with Max, JoAnne's Maine coon kitty.

Holly we passed on a walk in the woods with sister JoAnne.

Lauren getting ready to drop the ball in the basket.

Ali giving it all she had.

It was, as always, a short trip, but fun to see everyone.

Chocolate Chip Cookies (new and improved)

We are still trying to cut down/out on our processed sugar, dairy and wheat consumption.  In doing so, I've found that baking anything is sometimes a challenge.  I have made chocolate chip cookies with almond flour, and while they are very good, they use coconut oil which makes them a little greasy.

Nick loves chocolate chip cookies with walnuts, so I do try to make them once-in-a-while.  I finally figured out a recipe using white and whole spelt flour (instead of wheat), and substituting the white sugar with palm sugar (one of the sugars that is low on the glycemic scale).  I haven't found anything to sub the brown sugar with at this point, without having the dough too wet.  So moderation won out, and the brown sugar stays. 

Chocolate Chip Cookies – my way!

• 11 1/2 ounce(s) 60% Cacao Bittersweet Chips
• 1 cup(s) butter or vegan non-hydrogenated margarine, softened
• 3/4 cup(s) Palm Sugar
• 3/4 cup(s) brown sugar, packed
• 2 large eggs
• 2 teaspoon(s) vanilla
• 2 1/4 cup(s) unsifted  1/2 white 1/2 whole spelt flour
• 1 teaspoon(s) baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon(s) salt
• 1 cup(s) walnuts or pecans, chopped (optional)

Directions
Heat oven to 375ºF.

Stir flour with baking soda and salt; set aside. In large mixing bowl, beat butter with sugar and brown sugar at medium speed until creamy and lightened in color. Add eggs and vanilla, one at a time. Mix on low speed until incorporated. Gradually blend dry mixture into creamed mixture. Stir in nuts and chocolate chips. Drop by tablespoon onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake for 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown.

While these aren't a gluten-free cookie, or sugarless for that matter, they do fill Nick's cookie void.  I've made them many times for guests, and no one has ever questioned an ingredient.

If you try them, I'd like to hear what you think.

Things That Make Me Smile

On a recent visit, Chloe my six-year-old granddaughter decided she should draw a picture of the ballet positions she knows, and has learned.

Not to be outdone, 3-year-old Phoebe decided she should draw a picture of Sadie (my labrador granddog), so that I would remember what she looks like when she's not here.

I have these hanging on my office wall – reminders of how little it takes to make me smile. 

Valentine's Day is Almost Here

Every year I make little cards to leave on my co-worker's desks.  Just something little, but different.  The past couple of years I've found images on this site.

The Graphic's Fairy has many vintage images that you can download and use.  Here is this year's card:

I'll print each recipient's name on the heart.  Being a Scotsman myself, I guess I found this doubly cute.  Care to share any ideas for Valentine's Day?  Let me know!

DIY Bathroom – the Work Continues

This is for all of you who have been asking about the on-going bathroom project.

There is a working sink and toilet.  Part of the wall is painted.  The shower stall is almost permanently installed and things are moving along.

Here are a few photos to show you.

So now I really do think this will be finished by summer.  Yes, that's right – I think!

Starry, Starry Night

About 4:25 this afternoon (EST) I looked out my office window to see it was still light out, alhough only minutes before the sun dipped below the Western Adironack Mountains.  It was a spectacular, clear-skied sight.  Yes, we are inching our way back into daylight.

For about a month I've been watching two very bright objects in the sky just after sunset.  I knew that the one closest to the Western horizon was Venus.  But there was another equally bright object in the Southeastern sky that I was pretty sure must be a planet also.  It was (and still is) Jupiter.

I got binoculars out when I got home to take a look.  One time Nick and I were on Mt Katahdin (in Baxter State Park, Maine) and we were able to view Jupiter's moons.  Sure enough, I could make out two moons if I glanced farther away from the side of the planet.  Pretty amazing.

Anyway, I thought I'd let you know (and give you plenty of time) that Venus and Jupiter will cross paths and exchange places in February.

Jupiter and Venus at sunset on Feb. 16, 2010. You'll need a clear view of the horizon to spot them just as the sun is going down. Do not look directly at the sun -- it can harm your eyes.
CREDIT: Starry Night Software.

"On the evening of Tuesday, Feb. 16, from our vantage point, Jupiter (moving left to right) will pass Venus (moving right to left). The two planets will appear to be separated from each other by an amount equal to the diameter of our moon in the sky.

"Even though Venus is much smaller in diameter than Jupiter, it will be very much brighter to the eye because it is much closer to the sun and to Earth than Jupiter.

"On Feb. 16, Venus and Jupiter will easily fit in the field of a small telescope. Jupiter will appear more than three times the size of Venus, a brooding giant far beyond brilliant Venus.

"Try to follow the action over the next week as the two planets rapidly approach each other. After Feb. 16, Jupiter will be gone behind the sun for the next month, emerging as a "morning star" late in March. Venus gradually gets farther from the sun and more brilliant, reaching greatest eastern elongation on Aug. 20 and greatest brilliancy on Sept. 23, before passing between Earth and sun on Oct. 29." Information from space.com.)

Some say I'm obsessed with the weather,the sky and any phenomena those things create.  They're probably right.  I am so often awe-struck by sunsets, rainbows, sun dogs, Northern Lights, shooting stars and so much more.  So many things – here for only an instant, then gone.  Just makes me realize whoever it was that said, "Take time to stop and smell the roses," wasn't just talking about roses.

So, get out there and start looking.  You might be surprised at what you've been missing.