Breadsday

Today I baked stuff.

First, I made two GINORMOUS loaves of whole wheat:

Okay, it's a closeup of reg'lar sized bread.

Then I made some burger buns, for tomorrow to have wrapped around veggie burgers.  Here's what the counter looked like after I kneaded the bun dough (it's in the bowl under the towel):

And here's the outcome of all today's baking:

I've been trying different recipes for buns, and they've all met with the approval of Teh Girls of teh House, but they weren't what I was after.  So today I got a link from he who is known as Brave Sir Robin, over on Teh Book of Faces, which was thus:  LINK  If you go over there, you'll note that they say one can sub some whole wheat for somea the white.  I did.  And I recommend you do, too.

So I tried it, and lo, it were guuuud!

Ladles and Jellyspoons, I believe we have a winner in the bun category.

And now, off to Anno 1701....

Lluvia

It's February here in Costa Rica, just like everywhere else (that follows the Julian Calendar, that is), which means we're smack dab in the middle of the dry season -- normally, from December until late March or early April.

Well, someone forgot to tell the weather gods that yesterday afternoon....

It rained hard for about 15 minutes, then it ended.  A nice break in an otherwise hot day.

Bob el Jardinero

Hey, what're y'all getting ready to do out here?

Well, as you know, the guy who owns the house is building some more here on our l'il cul-de-sac...

...over by the banananana trees,

and we've got this spot that we (okay, Jen did, 'cause I was on my visa run) bricked in for a raised bed last year.

So we're gonna get somea that dirt they've dug up,

put it in a wheelbarrow,

and dump it in the bed...

until it's all nice...

and filled up ready for planting!

You did WHAT??

But... it's all different and stuff.

I'm not sure about this, guys...

seriously, I don't know if I like it.

Hey, what's this???

Wow!! This litter box is HUGE!!!

No, Jamba, we got some plants and veggie seeds to plant in there.

I better inspek it, then, give it the sniff test...

...and see what's under here, and...

...look at it from all angles.

Yeah, I think this spacing is all right, Fuzzy Hooman.

And these will make excellent snacks.

And then they were watered...

and watered some more.

Teh End

Hooman and Kitteh Treatses

So I've been a bakin' fiend this week.  Okay, I've baked some bread.  I'm making whole wheat bread to sell to friends and neighbors, which is cool, and also been making some for us here at home.  A couple weeks ago I tried a cinnamon bread, which Jen and the girls liked, but I knew it just. wasn't. right.  So today I decided to try a different recipe, called, most humbly,

"World's Best Cinnamon Raisin Bread"

That I found at food.com.  Only I'm not a big fan of the shrivelled grape, so I just left them out.  I don't know if it's truly the world's best, but it did turn out pretty dang good. Almost like my mom used to make (which, face it, is the goal).

Cinnamon bread ready to bake

Cinnamon bread ready to eat

But I haven't been baking just for us hoomans.  Oh, no.  I also made some "Catnip Crackers", or, as I've dubbed them, "Kitteh Biskits".  I got the recipe from a friend on Facebook, and she saw it here, at the end of a(n) unrelated to kittehs blog post.

Here's the recipe for those who don't wish to click through:

• 1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
• 2 tablespoons dried catnip
• 1/2 cup plain yogurt
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl, mix together the flour and catnip, then stir in the yogurt, egg, honey, and vegetable oil. Roll out the dough on a floured surface and cut into small bite-sized pieces with a pizza cutter or small cookie cutters. We have a small dogbone-shaped cutter and a tiny duck-shaped cookie cutter we like to use. Place them on a greased cookie sheet and bake for 15 minutes or until they start to brown.

Kitteh Biskits in the oven

Kitteh Biskits ready to munch

And for anyone who knows, or is FB friends with, our two kittehs, it came as no surprise at all that Jamba scarfed her taste down and Raxi sniffed and walked away.  We'll see if that continues.

I should also mention that all the baking is practice at this point, as we got a "new" stove a couple weeks ago... so now I'm cooking with gas -- which I love -- but we're waiting on the next "shipment" from the states which, I'm told, will include a really nice oven thermometer from Jen's dad Dick.  Apparently oven thermometers are very hard to find here in Costa Rica and when one does find them they're way expensive.  Until then I just wing it (although, I'm starting to get a good feel for the look of the flame as it relates to the baking temperature), which, as you can see from the dark, dark crust on today's cinnamon bread, is not perfect.

Once More Into the Breech Granada

Again with the trip outta the country to satisfy my legal status, and this time I managed to remember to take a few pictures:

At the border (on the Nicaragua side), waiting for the immigration process to finish...

They're redoing the immigration station on the Nica side....

Most of the houses in the old part of Granada have blank outer walls, with only a large door opening on to the street.  Not so this house, which has been under renovation all the times I've been in town.  I think it's done.

Part of the second floor of the house, open to the breezes (and views)

The rest of the front of the house.  Not modest, at all, eh?

The "new" pedestrian mall just to the east (that's the lake side) of the Parque Centro, just behind the yellow cathedral.

another view of the mall.  I had dinner in the restaurant in the right foreground (where the menu lectern is).  They had a whole page of tipico (typical) Nicaraguan plates, and the food was quite good.

Looking back on the ped mall, as the day ended....

Looking toward Parque Centro (cathedral on the left) and the west, as the sky darkened

The courtyard of Hotel El Club, where I always stay.

The rest of the courtyard.

Part of the wind farm just north of the Costa Rica - Nicaragua border.  On the other side of the highway (and the other side of the bus, hence no picture) is the rest of the farm... and Lake Nicaragua with the Ometepe voclano in the middle  (here's a picture I didn't take, showing that view)

Waiting in line on the Costa Rica side of the border....

Waiting for customs to search the bus (and all the luggage... except mine for some [*cough* Gringo *cough*] reason)...

Finally, back in Costa Rica for another 90 days, the sun setting over Guanacaste.

Framed!

As mentioned earlier, I'm working on a rolling board, as all our counters are tile with 1/8"+ grout seams, which, if I wanted a large waffle design on my biscuits and such would be fine.  Since I don't though, I make this:

Here's the four pieces of the frame laid out after cutting.  Not bad for doing it without clamps and such.  (Also shows the dining table which was out in the "shop" for a couple new coats of poly)

In the previous post I showed the blocks in the "cut" arrangement.  Here they are in the "hold the pieces in place for drilling" arrangement.  I simply screwed them to the worktop.  This is the final corner, and it came together pretty well.

Closeup of the above, showing ... it closer. (also note my carpenter's calculator at top :) )

After putting the frame together I realized I needed a center crosspiece, so I half lapped it into place (should have been done before assembly, for those keeping score, but I managed to not break anything) and then glued the top onto the frame.  Then stained and poly'ed the underside.

And here's the thing on the counter, waiting for me to use it (the plywood top is poly'ed, but not stained).  Pretty, eh?

And now I think I'll go make some cinnamon bread.