hot and cold

damn it's cold outside.  i have been baking a lot.  i have discovered i enjoy baking a lot.  it makes me wonder if i should put forth the effort and start seeking a job working at a bakery.  it's just a thought at the moment.  i remember helping my mom bake cookies at christmas time.  i remember assisting my grandma bake apple pies.  she always made me my own special one.   good memories.  i've made granola crisp, oatmeal scotchie bars, toll house cookie bars.  i ventured to make cinnamon bread too.  i found a recipe, tweaked it.  the bread turned out pretty good.  i tweaked the recipe again and this time the cinnamon bread is excellent.  you gotta like cinnamon to like this bread.  yum. 

mattAtomic cinnamon bread

ingredients


dry ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup white sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt

wet ingredients
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

struesel ingredients
2 teaspoons brown sugar
3 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 stick margarine

directions


preheat oven to 350 degrees F
grease one 9x5 inch loaf pan.

mix dry ingredients together; flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt.

blend wet ingredients; milk, lemon juice, oil, eggs and vanilla.

combine wet and dry ingredients together, beat until smooth.
pour into prepared loaf pan.

combine the brown sugar, cinnamon, and butter, mixing until crumbly.
sprinkle topping over smoothed batter.

bake for about 50 minutes.
remove bread from pan to rack to cool.

bring it on

official snowfall total 17". so far this season: 91". the snowiest winter since 1981-82.

there was one continual three foot snow drift down the length of the sidewalk leading to the front door.

a dump truck and front-end loader removed the snow from the cul-de-sac.

the driver of the front-end loader was kind enought to clear the snow from the end of the driveway.  i didn't have to shovel through the two foot high pile of snow.

baked oatmeal scotchie bars to munch on.

no rest for the weary

there's been snow to shovel every day.  ice to break up, remove.  cold temperatures to deal with.  laundry to wash, fold.  rooms to dust, vacuum.  walls to tape, paint.  jobs to search for, apply.  books to read.  tv shows to watch.  music to listen to.  food to cook, eat.  cats to feed, pet.  naps to take.  i've been busy.

second star to the right

getting back to favorites.  what would be my favorite ride at disney world?  obviously one that includes tinker bell.  how can you not enjoy flying over london in a pirate galleon to never land?  grab a seat on the ship, get doused with pixie dust, sail out of the darling's nursery into the moonlit sky above london.  fly over the famous sights of big ben, london bridge and more. see the tiny street lights and headlights of automobiles twinkling below.  descend to never land, sweeping past the lost boys camp, mermaid lagoon and skull rock. peter pan faces off against captain hook aboard hook's pirate ship to save wendy and her brothers.

frosted

winter is still making its prescence known.  cold, snow, lake effect, thaw, snow, snow, lake effect, frigid cold.  i did notice that the days are getting longer, albeit through the snow falling.  busy week doing much of nothing, or some things around the house, pictures on the wall, playing games on the wii, watching television, feeding the cats, internet searches.  watched some disney movies yesterday.  out of the three we watched, boris liked the princess and the frog the best.  baked cupcakes from scratch today.  going to make dinner, some sort of meat and potato dish, thought a dessert would be nice to have.  afterward going to watch an old disney classic, the cat from outer space.  staying home and warm during the cold snap.  well getting cold going out and shoveling but i haven't gotten outside yet today.

throes of winter

too much snow.  too cold.  i want to hibernate.  i want warmth.  i want sun.  all i seem to do each day is get up and shovel.  i did get a new shovel.  i named it sebastian.  i have used sebastian too much.  i do other things through out the day too.  but none of those activities wear me out.  i bake too much.  brownies, granola bars, banana bread.  i use the slow cooker too.  the last meal consisted of chicken, penne pasta, cream of mushroom soup, seasoning, shredded cheese.  warms the belly.  i apply for job opportunities too.  i nap too.  i watch tv too.  i dream of summer too.

turn the page

the book thief by markus zusak is extraordinary, heartbreaking. an incredibly well crafted book. it speaks to the heart, draws the reader into the darkest of times and allows you to experience the depth of human emotion in so many ways. Beautifully written and deeply moving.


it’s just a small story really, about among other things: a girl, some words, an accordionist, some fanatical Germans, a Jewish fist-fighter, and quite a lot of thievery. . . .
 
that's why the book thief is my favorite read.