COMPUTER GLITCH - WEATHER REPORT - RECIPE

COMPUTER GLITCH

This past week I have really had a frustrating time with my computer. It acted up for several days and I wound up having to reboot it several times just to get it to do anything. One day I could not get it to respond at all. So when I checked on it Saturday morning and it seemed to be working, Linda & I spent the rest of the weekend putting all of the pictures and videos from the last 6 years onto discs. I finally finished with the project on Monday. So, my advice to everyone is to back up your pictures and videos (and anything else you wouldn't want to lose) just in case this ever happens to you.

WEATHER REPORT

It seems as if the snow may have finally come to an end, at least for the time being. Linda checked on the snow accumulation statistics for this winter, and here is how it stands as of now:
December snow total:  7.4"
January snow total:    19.1"
February snow total:  11.3"
Winter total so far:     37.8"
The high temperatures have actually gone into the mid-to-high 30's and low 40's for the past week, so a lot of the snow has melted and we can actually see the ground in some places. But, who knows how long it will last. I am sure we haven't seen the last of the snow yet.

Picture taken January 9th

Picture taken February 13th

RECIPE

Someone suggested that I might want to include a recipe on the blog since I love cooking, so I am putting one in this week. My newest cooking endeavor that I really enjoy is baking. I never was much of a baker before because it can be an all-day-long thing and I didn't really have the time for it when I was working. But now that I do have the time, I try to bake something every week. Linda & I both enjoy a great loaf of bread, so I have concentrated my efforts in making homemade bread, with some pretty tasty results. My problem with putting a recipe on the blog is that I get so caught up in what I'm doing that I forget to take pictures, and I know that nowadays it is all about the pictures...if there isn't a picture, then it didn't happen. I made a fabulous focaccia the other day, but I didn't get any pictures of it. We like it so much that I am sure I will be making that again soon, and I promise I will try to get some pictures then so I can include that recipe in a future blog. Here is the recipe below for a pretty basic homemade pasta that I made.

HOMEMADE PASTA
Yields 4-5 servings

Ingredients for the pasta:
2  cups white flour
2 eggs
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup of milk
2 tablespoons butter, softened

1. Combine flour, eggs, salt, milk, & butter in a large bowl. Knead together ingredients by hand until dough forms, 5-10 minutes.
2. When dough has formed it should be a smooth ball, and not sticky. If it is sticky, add a little more flour and knead some more.
3. Cut off a small piece of the dough ball, flour your hands, and roll it out under your palms on a floured surface into a long, pencil shape about 1/4" thick.  Cut dough into 1/2" pieces and lay out on a plate, and try to keep the pieces separate so they don't stick together.
4. Bring a medium sized pot of water to a rolling boil, then quickly drop each piece separately into the boiling water.  After all pieces are in, boil for 2 minutes.
5. Strain your boiled pasta in a colander.  Place into pan with sauce or recipe you are making so it can soak up flavors.

After the pasta was done and drained, I combined it in with a stir-fry of some vegetables (mushrooms, carrots, onion, etc.) and let it all meld for a few minutes.  It was pretty tasty!

Well, I was working on my blog post on Tuesday and I accidentally posted it before I was done, so it's going up a day early this week.  Since today is February 14th, I want to take the opportunity to wish everyone a Happy Valentine's Day, and remember, what the world needs now is LOVE.