Ponderings #5

I would swear I've already had this conversation somewhere online, perhaps even on my own blog, but I can't find it.  So, I'm making it one of my "ponderings". 

If you could have a superpower, any superpower, what would it be? 

My first thought, as one who's struggled with my weight for years, is to be able to eat anything I want without gaining inches or pounds.  However, that's not really a superpower in the true sense of the word.  Therefore, the superpower I'd most want to have is:

Teleporting

Wouldn't it be great to blink your eyes and be in another place?!  Just think of the potential.  I could visit friends and family at the drop of a hat and still be home in time to cook supper.  I could travel the world.  I wouldn't even have to take luggage since I could teleport home to shower and change clothes.

Give it some thought, or maybe this is something for which you already have an answer.  If you could have any superpower, what would it be? 

What Am I ? (#7)

1. I'm an expert carbon scubber hoarding some 42 million tons each year, roughly equivalent to the annual carbon emissions of 25 million cars.

2. I love sunshine and don't close the pores on my leaves in the heat of the day like most tropical plants. In addition, I only "drink" about a third of what most plants do.

3. I depend on my deep, complex root system for stability, oxygen, and salt filtration.

4. I'm sometimes known as a "walking tree" because my roots sprawl both above and below the waterline. I'm mainly found in the salty waters of southern Florida (US) and tropical Southeast Asia.

Have you figured out what I am from my clues? * Scroll down for the answer.

































I'm a Mangrove!











*Facts provided by the April issue of Discover Magazine.

Mourning Gloria by Susan Wittig Albert

Many authors who have long-running series end up in a slump at some point.  I've found this to be true with a number of the authors I read and Susan Wittig Albert is no exception.  However, I thought Mourning Gloria - her 19th in the China Bayles herbal mysteries - to be much better than her recent offerings.  

China is driving home on a summer night when she happens on a house trailer engulfed in flames.  After calling 911, she approaches the structure only to hear someone frantically crying out.  Despite her efforts, she's not able to help and is haunted by the death of the unidentified woman.  Jessica, the young intern reporter assigned to cover the fire, gets too emotionally involved having lost her parents and twin sister in a house fire years before.  When it becomes apparent that the fire was an arson/murder, she delves even deeper in an attempt to solve the crime herself.  Once Jessica disappears, China feels an obligation to retrace the reporter's steps in an attempt to find her before Jessica also loses her life. 

The herbal focus in this novel is "psychoactive" or "mood-enhancing" plants.  As always, Albert cleverly weaves interesting folklore and scientific information about these plants throughout the book and into the storyline itself.  Albert is good about filling the reader in on each of her characters and situations, so the novel could be read and enjoyed as a stand alone.  However, I recommend starting from the beginning to fully appreciate the depth of the series. 

This was my second book for the 2011 Cozy Mystery Challenge.

Shadow Shot Sunday #23

Azaleas (can you find the bee?)

 Shadow Shot Sunday

hosted by Hey Harriet

Sauerbraten

Quid and I spend a lot of time texting each other while watching food shows on TV.  Not long ago the topic of Sauerbraten came up.  I commented I'd never eaten it, so Quid e-mailed me a recipe she found online and I tried it last weekend.  Well, considering it has to marinate for three days I actually started it mid-week, but I cooked it on Saturday.   Even though it was delicious (and the left-overs were great!) it was fairly labor-intensive, so I doubt I'll make it again any time soon. 

This recipe comes from Alton Brown of the Food Network.



Ingredients



2 cups water
1 cup cider vinegar
1 cup red wine vinegar
1 medium onion, chopped
1 large carrot, chopped
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon kosher salt, additional for seasoning meat
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 bay leaves
6 whole cloves
12 juniper berries
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
1 (3 1/2 to 4-pound) bottom round
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/3 cup sugar
18 dark old-fashioned gingersnaps (about 5 ounces), crushed
1/2 cup seedless raisins, optional


Directions


In a large saucepan over high heat combine the water, cider vinegar, red wine vinegar, onion, carrot, salt, pepper, bay leaves, cloves, juniper, and mustard seeds. Cover and bring this to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Set aside to cool.


Pat the bottom round dry and rub with vegetable oil and salt on all sides. Heat a large saute pan over high heat; add the meat and brown on all sides, approximately 2 to 3 minutes per side.


When the marinade has cooled to a point where you can stick your finger in it and not be burned, place the meat in a non-reactive vessel and pour over the marinade. Place into the refrigerator for 3 days. If the meat is not completely submerged in the liquid, turn it over once a day.


After 3 days of marinating, preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.


Add the sugar to the meat and marinade, cover and place on the middle rack of the oven and cook until tender, approximately 4 hours.


Remove the meat from the vessel and keep warm. Strain the liquid to remove the solids. Return the liquid to the pan and place over medium-high heat. Whisk in the gingersnaps and cook until thickened, stirring occasionally. Strain the sauce through a fine mesh sieve to remove any lumps. Add the raisins if desired. Slice the meat and serve with the sauce.

Pretty Is As Pretty Dies by Elizabeth Spann Craig

This month begins the Cozy Mystery Challenge! I started off with Pretty Is As Pretty Dies , debut in the Myrtle Clover Mystery Series, by Elizabeth Spann Craig. I read my first mystery by this author (writing as Riley Adams), Delicious and Suspicious, last August. You might remember it had some wonderful recipes in it, a few of which I shared on my blog with the author's permission. No recipes in this one, but it was still a fun mystery with lots of potential for more books in the series.

Welcome to small-town Bradley, North Carolina and the life of retired schoolteacher Myrtle Clover. When a local town developer is murdered, Myrtle decides she needs to assist her son, the chief of police, in solving the crime. Suspects abound and danger increases as Myrtle comes closer and closer to determining the killer.

Pretty Is As Pretty Dies is filled with just as much humor and just as many fun, quirky characters as the previous Elizabeth Spann Craig novel I read. If I had to choose which of her books I enjoyed most, I'd probably pick Delicious and Suspicious, but both are delightfully entertaining cozies guaranteed to please. I look forward to more from both series.

Airplane photos

For those of you who seemed entertained by the thought of me as a pilot, I dug out a couple of photos to share with you. The top photo is my flight instructor and me standing in front of the airplane I learned to fly in, a 2-seater Cessna. If I remember correctly, the photo was taken right after I made my first solo flight. It's the same plane I was in when the incident I described here took place.

The lower photo, a Piper Cherokee Warrior, is the airplane my husband and I bought into with several of my husband's cousins. A 4-seater, it was more practical than the Cessna rental we learned in.

It's a beginning

Last Friday evening we made our first venture of the year out on our pond to see if the fish were biting. After a slow start, these two finally made the effort worth my while. Both were caught using plastic worms and were tossed back to be caught another day. I'm anxious to go again, but the weather hasn't cooperated. Too windy over the weekend and too stormy today. Oh, well. It's not like I don't have the entire summer ahead of me.

Shadow Shot Sunday #22

Hosted by Hey Harriet (click above image for more photos)

Dogwood

Cheese Grits (two recipes!)

I love cheese grits.  For years I've used my aunt's recipe that calls for "old fashioned" grits (not instant or quick-cooking), eggs, and requires baking in the oven.  This week I found another version in Southern Living magazine that uses quick-cooking grits and is prepared on the stovetop.  Both are relatively simple to make and both are delicious.  Here are the recipes.... you decide!


Cheese Grits

1 cup grits (old-fashioned)1/4 cup butter
1/3 cup milk
3 eggs
1/2 pound sharp cheese (grated)
salt to taste

Cook grits as directed on the box (it should be 6 servings of grits). Add ingredients as listed. Beat hard after each addition. Pour into a 9x13" pan. Bake in a moderate oven (325 degrees) until firm and slightly brown on top.


Gouda Grits

4 cups chicken broth
1 cup whipping cream
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground pepper
2 cups uncooked quick-cooking grits
2 cups (8 oz.) shredded Gouda cheese
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup butter
2 tsp. hot sauce

Bring first 4 ingredients and 4 cups water to a boil in a Dutch oven over high heat; whisk in grits, reduce heat to medium low, and simmer, stirring occasionally, 15 minutes or until thickened.  Remove from heat, and stir in Gouda and remaining ingredients.