%$@! SQUIRRELZ!

Besides the weather starting to feel cooler and the leaves starting to change, I know it's autumn because the squirrels are burying their nuts in my potted plants!!!

I wouldn't mind so much if they wouldn't come right back and dig them up again and in the process destroy my plants!! 

My poor stonecrop was totally dug up!  Thankfully, they will just send out more roots and re-plant themselves but the little buggers dug up my petunias, too. :-(

AARRGGH! I'm glad we'll be moving soon!! 

Sunday, Sept. 11, 2011

Today is a particularly beautiful morning.  After a week of rain and more rain, to have Sept.11 be so sunny and pleasant is a welcome change especially considering the day. Ten years ago the boyfriend had moved to NYC two days before.  Thankfully, he had the day off and was fast asleep.  My cousin was working in a building near the Towers.  Thankfully, she was evacuated early.  This morning we watched an A&E special on 9/11.  Very surreal. I do remember and will never forget, but maybe this is why the sunlight seemed so incredible today, and the plants I've been nurturing since Spring seem so lovely basking in the sun's rays. I feel even more drawn to simple things like growing plants, raising worms, working with my hands and cooking. 

My Thai basil, garlic (I'm trying to grow a bulb indoors), basil

Irene's Aftermath

We lost our power Saturday afternoon.  For 5 days, we lost our electricity.  Five Days!!  It totally sucked.  The candle lit evening wasn't so bad for the first day, but after the 3rd day.... not cool.

I took some other photos while in the dark and this is what developed...

Earth, Wind and Fire

Mother Nature seems a little pissed at us over here!  First we have fires down south in the Dismal Swamps.  Then we had an earthquake and now a hurricane! What's next an alien invasion?  Well, we're ready!  Bought food yesterday during a torrential downpour and packed our freezer tight! Made sure to buy canned goods that won't need cooking or refrigeration. This afternoon, I brought in my plants.

Our spare room looks like a jungle now!  We also went and bought essential supplies like flashlights that don't require batteries and a self-powered, all-in-one radio/light/cell phone charger.

We have plenty of water, wine and beer and a giant pizza from Whole Foods!  I think we're good. :-)

I Luv Pie!

I seem to do a lot of late night baking.  Baking pies are one of my favorite baked goods to make!!  LUV PIE!  Especially fruit pies.  It's so perfect.  You get all of your 4 food groups- fruit, carbs, protein, and dairy (I put an egg and cream wash on the surface before baking plus the dollops of butter all over the apple filling.....mmmmm). I particularly like apple pies.  It's so all-American goodness, but another reason I tend to lean toward apple is that I can't seem to eat most apples raw (gives me stomach aches, except for Fuji apples and I have no idea why) but I can eat all apples cooked!! Now if I weren't lactose intolerant, a big scoop of homemade vanilla ice cream on my slice of warm apple pie...that would be heaven! 

Japanese Milk Bread: Version 2

I made milk bread again.  Although, the recipe I used for the first loaf was very good.  I wanted an even fluffier, soft bread with a slight chewy texture.  I decided to look into other recipes and decided to mix and match ingredients to come up with version 2:

The texture was much fluffier and still slightly chewy.  And god, did it smell GOOD when it was baking. The bread tastes almost creamy compared to the first loaf. So, here's the recipe (this recipe makes one loaf, but the tangzhong mix is enough for 2 loaves):

Japanese Milk Bread!!!

I have been craving shokupan or Japanese milk bread for a while now, but there isn't really a bakery here in Richmond that I know of that sells the bread so I've been looking for a recipe.  What makes the bread so good is the texture!  It isn't crusty like European breads, but soft, fluffy and slightly chewy.  The first time I had Japanese milk bread was in Los Angeles and I've been craving the stuff ever since. Well, thanks to the internet and others who find the bread pretty tasty, I have found a recipe!  I was so excited.