Elephant

I found this on the ground outside while taking a walk today. How much fun is that!?

Gone Fishing

In Ohio, May 2nd and 3rd are free fishing days open to the public. No permit is required to go fishing. So, that's what I did! I had a fantastic day.

Paper Bird

Blackbird singing in the dead of night, take these broken wings and learn to fly
All your life, you were only waiting for this moment to arise

Blackbird singing in the dead of night, take these sunken eyes and learn to see
All your life, you were only waiting for this moment to be free

Black-bird fly
Black-bird fly, into the light of a dark black night
Black-bird fly
Black-bird fly, into the light of a dark black night

Blackbird singing in the dead of night, take these broken wings
and learn to fly
All your life, you were only waiting for this moment to arise
You were only waiting for this moment to arise
You were only waiting for this moment to arise

Date Cookies

Makes 30-35 cookies

The Dough
1 cup unsalted butter
3 cups semolina flour
2 teaspoons yeast
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon powered gum arabic
Pinch mahlab (optional)

The Filling
2 pounds pitted dates, finely chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
Powdered sugar

To prepare the dough: Melt the butter and let it cool to room temperature. Add to the semolina and mix thoroughly. Cover and leave at room temperature overnight. Mix together 1/2 cup warm water, yeast and sugar in a measuring cup. Cover and set aside in a warm place for about 5 minutes. Add yeast mixture to semolina, along with nutmeg, gum arabic, optional mahlab and 1/2 cup room-temperature water. Knead by hand until thoroughly mixed.
To prepare the filling: Mix dates with olive oil and cinnamon. Form date mixture into 1 1/2-inch balls and roll into 4-inch logs.
To assemble: Position a rack in middle of oven. Preheat oven to 350*. Grease 2 cookie sheets. Roll dough into 1 1/2-inch balls, then roll into 4-inch logs. Flatten dough with your fingers and place a date strip in the center. Crimp edges of dough to seal date mixture inside. Shape dough into a ring and crimp ends together. Using a fork or wooden skewer, indent surface of cookie, taking care not to puncture dough. Bake for 12 minutes. Remove from oven and cool for a few minutes on the baking sheet before transferring to racks to cool completely. Dust with powdered sugar.
Note: Mahlab and gum arabic are available at Middle Eastern stores.
Per cookie: 180 calories, 2 g protein, 31 g carbohydrate, 6 g fat (3 g
saturated), 14 mg cholesterol, 3 mg sodium, 3 g fiber.

Nify Box

Check out this link to see how these boxes are made. As you can see, you could use them to gift or organize a variety of objects.

Cute Baby Shoes

These cute shoes are easy to make, and incredibly adorable!! I chose some leftover quilting fabric and sandwiched a layer of polar fleece in between so they would be plush to wear like slippers should be.

Clam Chowder

IT'S AWESOME!

4 ounces salt pork, chopped (about 1 cup) (get the kind that looks like bacon, not the little bricks)
1 large onion, chopped
1/4 C. flour or corn starch*
4 cups clam broth, or bottled clam juice, or seafood stock
3 C. whole or 2% milk
1 cup diced celery
1/2 C. Chopped carrot
4-5 C. diced Yukon gold potatoes (1.5 lbs)
2 Tablespoons fresh thyme or 2 teaspoons dried
3 C. chopped clams (4 cans?)
2 C. half and half
salt and pepper to taste
2 Tablespoons butter

This makes a LOT of soup, so use your big pot. (3 quarts or 6-8 main course servings)

Cook the salt pork in your soup pot over medium heat until the fat is rendered (liquid) and the pork bits are getting crispy. 10 minutes or so.
Add the onion and cook, stirring frequently until it begins to soften. About 5 minutes. Add the flour and cook for a few seconds. Slowly add the clam broth.

The flour will make it thick, so be sure to really stir and mix it in now. Add milk, whisk until smooth. Add potatoes, carrots, celery, and herb. Simmer uncovered over medium heat for 10 minutes. Add the clams and half and half. **if using corn starch instead mix the corn starch with the cold half and half when you add it.

Simmer your soup until the potatoes are tender. Season soup with salt and pepper to taste. The salt pork makes it very salty, so be sure to taste it first. Remove soup from heat, and let the chowder sit at room temperature for an hour, or refrigerate for up to 2 days. Before serving, add the butter and reheat gently.