They are good . . .
With a wink and a nod to Daily Timewaster.
What is Wednesday about? Freckles . . .
October 5, 2016Whose day am I noting on tattoo Tuesday?
October 4, 2016
Today is the feast day of St. Francis of Assisi. Born in 1226, St. Francis is the patron saint of Italy, of animals, and the natural environment. He is also the founder of the Franciscan order of friars. Although he followed an ascetic life style, it is rumored that he had a fondness for honey cake. Here is a recipe (which is also appropriate for Rosh Hashana):
Ingredients
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1 cup vegetable oil
1 cup honey
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup warm coffee or strong tea
1/2 cup fresh orange juice
1/4 cup rye or whisky (or orange juice)
1/2 cup slivered or sliced almonds (optional)
Preparation
This cake best baked in a 9-inch angel food cake pan, but you can also make it in a 10-inch tube or bundt cake pan, a 9 by 13-inch sheetpan, or three 8 by 4 1/2-inch loaf pans.
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease the pan(s). For tube and angel food pans, line the bottom with lightly greased parchment paper. For gift honey cakes, I use “cake collars” (available from Sweet Celebrations) designed to fit a specific loaf pan. These give the cakes an appealing, professional look.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices. Make a well in the center and add the oil, honey, sugars, eggs, vanilla, coffee, orange juice, and rye or whisky.
Using a strong wire whisk or an electric mixer on slow speed, combine the ingredients well to make a thick batter, making sure that no ingredients are stuck to the bottom of the bowl.
Spoon the batter into the prepared pan(s) and sprinkle the top of the cake(s) evenly with the almonds. Place the cake pan(s) on 2 baking sheets stacked together and bake until the cake springs back when you touch it gently in the center. For angel and tube cake pans, bake for 60 to 70 minutes; loaf cakes, 45 to 55 minutes. For sheet-style cakes, the baking time is 40 to 45 minutes. This is a liquidy batter and, depending on your oven, it may need extra time. Cake should spring back when gently pressed.
Let the cake stand for 15 minutes before removing it from the pan. Then invert it onto a wire rack to cool completely.
What am I posting today?
October 3, 2016October images . . .
Apples, pumpkins, mums, and fall migrants.
What do I see transforming?
October 1, 2016Turkish engineers build this transformer from a BMW – or at least they made this fun video.
But I think it might have gas.
Who did we say goodbye to today?
September 30, 2016
This morning, Sept. 30, 2016, just after 10:39 UTC (6:39 a.m. EDT) ESA’s Rosetta spacecraft ended its mission with an impact onto the surface of the comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. The descent, begun with a final burn of its thrusters about 14 hours earlier, was slow, stately, and deliberate, but even at a relative walking pace Rosetta was not designed to be a lander like its parter Philae and thus ceased operation upon contact with the comet.
Rosetta will now remain on the surface of 67P not far from the location of Philae, which landed in November 2014 and was just recently identified in an OSIRIS image after nearly two years of speculation about its final landing place.
All in all, an amazing job by Rosetta, Philae, ESA, and all of the flight, instrument, and science teams that made the mission an incredible success. Thanks to their hard work and dedication over the years we now know more about our Solar System and comets especially than we ever did before, and the data Rosetta and Philae have provided us will be used for decades to come.
Rest well, little travelers.
What am I sappy cat blogging?
September 30, 2016
Where am I reading?
September 29, 2016
A 19th century structure removed from context and re-imagined. A spiraling staircase – a fragment of a coil – standing in half shadow. It’s no longer a means to go somewhere, it has become the somewhere. Once held up by four walls, it is now re-mastered and self-supporting. Leavened by gravity and steel, heavy as the shadows. The oak and pine is pitted with a century and a half of daily rituals. It was discovered as a crumbling splinter of its former self. Careful, painstaking repairs have paved the way for its new function. A discrete yet bold intervention – a seat in place of steps, where dark cushions encourage you to pause. An old thoroughfare is now a place to stop, and read. In solitary contemplation, or intimate recital. The Reading Steps disorder the previous function, and create a new calm certainty. It’s about the beauty of a quiet disruption.
What is tattoo Tuesday about?
September 27, 2016
Wouldn’t the debates be more fun if our presidential candidates were tattooed like Vladimir Franz who is in third place in the Czech presidential race?
Gunsmoke and Knitting 