These are the programs droning on as the backgound of our summer--which is in Full Swing. The most exciting events have been 1) the continuation of S's winning streak at bingo [followed by its inevitable attenuation and perhaps demise], 2) neighbor Susan's BD party in Frank & Karen's completed-just-in-time pool, 3) the discovery of a new bingo hall in Panama City Beach that's as close as the Bingo Castle when traffic on westward 98 is in summer gridlock. Which it almost always is.
The kitchen has been the source of some experiments: extensive online research led us to the conclusion that our popover pans had puffed their last puff and that nothing could be done to restore them. So we sucked it up and bought new ones and voila! Popovers--just in time for the Wimbledon Women's Final.
S tried to deal with the red hot chili pepper glut by making pepper jelly--oh, the Vesuvius of boiling over red goo E witnessed from her safe haven at the kitchen table. Let's just say that while the stuff is pretty and tastes just fine, its texture suffered horribly, perhaps from the boilover, perhaps from ????????? Renee (the egg/chicken/preserves lady), who avoids the use of pectin by putting up fruit exclusively, claims that pectin is always gummy, but we think not. More successful were the jars of pickled and marinated summer squash (because what else can one do with squash the size of one's forearm? aiyyy--our CSA does not quite have its act together), which will soon be ready to eat--yum!
We've been out and about doing jobs (car service, body work estimates for that crushed bumper) and hanging about the house ditto (new oven door hinges, AC condensation issues), shaking hands with and nodding agreeably to wrench-wristy types. And we're rearranging various storage places, planning to get rid of a couple of pieces of office furniture so we can more easily get to the windows, assuming the weather will ever be cool enough to open the damn things again. In addition to sampling a new bagel joint (nope) and eating breakfast once at The Donut Hole (crying children in spades), we returned to the Thai Elephant for a really swell meal--and ran into one of the hot local chefs, Philip MacDonald, who gave us a tip about a Turkish place in Ft. Walton Beach.
Susan (BD girl and MahJongg pal) with hubby Charlie (fisherman & wit)
Karen (foreground) & Frank (of the new pool) and Julie (quilter & MahJongger)
This weekend, some fun in store: a visit from Vonceil. Looking forward!
3 comments:
Oooo, those popover pans are purty! Are they kind of suspended on those rail thingies? V. cool.
The jellies and jams and jars fill me with envy. Brings out the 1850s prairie housewife gene in me.
Want some popovers with homemade jam NOW.
xoxo
dude
Not only are they suspended on the rails (purportedly to cook everybody more evenly), but the two pans NEST--which my dead two pans did NOT. Space-saving, always a goal here at BAR! One never knows when one might have to fit a world-class espresso maker into the joint . . .
one of my goals, in your visit next summer, is to convert you and e. to the need for an espresso machine. then we can have cappuccinos at B-A-R, and my life will be complete.
x
d.
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