Catching up on January Jobs - Painting - Art - Cooking

Hey there folks!  January finally started acting like January and we have been snowed upon and frozen solid in the last couple of days.  No matter, it is Winter in Ohio.

One of the things that I like to do on snowy, cold days is to catch up on my painting.
  Not really what I had in mind either.  Still it was work that needed to be done, and with 2-1/2 days of hitting it hard, I sanded, primed and painted this old gal. Turned out ok. The pannels and the seat are not back on in the after photo.  Once she is done done (the Fork Lift needs some minor mechanical work too) I will post photos of her restored to her former glory.

As a side note, I had a few hours here and there (mostly while paint was drying and rather than watch that process) I skedaddled up to the studio and worked on a couple of my sculptures.

I call this Garden Art "Bird's Nest".  Mostly, because that is what it is. Modeled after a real Robin's nest it would make a dandy addition to your garden.  Click on one of the photos to go to my web store.  Bird's nest will be available for Spring and will sell for $20.00, plus shipping - drop me an email if you want to get on the reserve list for this new sculpture. mary@mwilsonsculpture.com

Oh!  And The Fab posted a recipe on the blog - truly it is worth trying. Link below.

Celebrate Your Inner Fabiola!: Fantastic Fabiola's Orient(al) Pork - A Fast "Slow Food" Dish with a Taste of The Orient

Working in a Winter Wonderland ...

Some folk will tell you that in the winter, farm life for the womenfolk is all inside work, knitting and making quilts, and gazing out the window at winter wonderlands.  Who are they fooling?  That description is of a fantasy country life that appears only in the stories of real estate agents who are trying to sell "country living" to city folk, (and houses on wet ground to boot), and on the pages of country living magazines.  Made up fluff, like  Hallmark holidays, we love the thought, we buy the stuff, but it is no more real than my figment of a friend Fantastic Fabiola.

Winter on the farm means equipment maintenance, a lot of that must be done where the equipment is parked, which would be OUTSIDE.  That is what I did yesterday and will again today, so I had my alter ego Fantastic Fabiola post an informational on dressing in layers for work out in the cold.  <-- that link will take you to it.  Now I have to put down my knitting and go to work.

First Snow of the Winter ... Here

Today is the first real snow of the year ... and the winter, here.  The ground is not yet frozen, so the January thaw, won't be. This year.

No matter the weather, there is work to do outside today, so layers are called for.  Layers and warm thoughts. Warm thoughts work, wool works better.

Resolved

New Year's Day has to be the self help book marketer's dream.  


Over the years my lists alone have probably denuded an acre of white pine. I can't even imagine the deforestation involved in the printing of all the books I have bought in the hope of expediting the success of those resolutions.  


No more! I have realized that I will never become a super model, own a wardrobe that is anything other than functional and machine washable, wear the latest look in eye make-up or own shoes that will make a man say anything other than "hey, I need a new pair of work boots, where did you get yours"?  I will never make millions selling real-estate with no money down. I will not write the great American novel. No New Year's Day promise is ever going to cause my closets to be clutter free or keep my bedlam of plastic food storage containers nested and stored in the same cupboard as their lids. 


Not going to happen!


My resolutions this year will not require self help books or the seeking of guidance from strangers. They will all be things that I am already good at and if not comfortable with, then at least resigned to.


For the year 2012, I hereby resolve to:


1.  Continue feeling guilty about not sending return email in anything like a timely manner. Along with several that I have received lately, I will delay returning the one from two years ago, and another that I am apparently aging like a fine wine.  I will continue to occasionally nag myself that I need to get around to answering them, not do it, then feel guilty.


2.   I will not learn to wrap gifts with neat corners and precise creases and just a smidge of transparent tape at the overlap. I will continue to use whatever wrapping is near at hand with particular emphasis on aluminum foil sheets and plastic grocery store bags, smoosh the extra under the folds rather than trimming it off, and I may again use 1-1/2" wide lime green masking tape as a substitute for transparent if I run across the masking tape first when I have to actually wrap something.


3.   I will not work on improving my musical taste in anyway.  I will continue to play my Rick James CD at close to the maximum volume as I drive the thirteen miles into town.  I will remain unashamedly fond of almost anything performed by the Carpenters. I will still play Barry Manilow when I want to feel young because the very first concert that I every went to in my life was Barry Manilow. I was 12, I fell in love and I will not abandon my first love.  That almost every one's taste in music evolves after the passing of four decades (pause) and mine has not will not bother me for even one second.


Finally


4.   I will continue to cut my own hair even knowing that I don't do it well and it makes a naturally bad situation worse.  People are used to my "I happen to prefer to do my grooming in high winds look".  I resolve to walk through the year with excruciatingly bad hair and not do a thing to improve the situation.


These resolutions, I believe I will keep.

A Time Traveler Arrived in my Home Today ...

Vintage Arpege

A time traveler arrived at my home today. A vintage bottle of Arpege. Arpege from before the reformulation that took it from a difficult complex masterpiece to yet another insipid floral.

I found it on eBay.  Yes, I know. Someone's grandmother's old left over perfume.  Liquid Gold, if you can wear it. I said if.  Arpege either works with your body chemistry, or it does not. Difficult. Either you have a strong enough personality to wear this perfume, or it wears you. Complicated. The original Arpege glides through several stages as the scent develops.  Aldehydes and citrus become Rose and Lilly of the Valley, the Rose lingers, then,  ... finally, the glorious Sandalwood and Musk (e n t i r e l y missing from the reformulation to my nose) begin to radiate through the Rose. Masterpiece.

My mother wore this perfume for special occasions, it is one of my most distinct memories of her. Arpege was my every day, all occasion perfume starting in my early twenties through the reformulation. It wasn't just a perfume that didn't smell like every third girl at the mall, it was my Achilles Shield in the world.

To me this perfume is the far off sound of rolling thunder, the glowing embers after a fire, the last moments of twilight before sunset.  Not for everyone, not made anymore, the world is a lesser place because of it. A time traveler arrived at my home today and transported me back decades. I believe that I will stay there.

Controversy over the Proposed Hancock-Seneca Wind Energy Center

Controversy over the Proposed Hancock-Seneca Wind Energy Center ... is, what is that phrase? Oh. A tiny tempest in a very big teapot.  A whirlwind in a wash tub.  So far anyway.    


As I stated in my last post on the subject,   And when the wind blows ...  I am smack in the middle of the proposed wind farm.  I do not have a lease for a wind turbine, nor will I, due to the proximity of turbines on neighboring farms.  I am fine with the project.  We need to start somewhere in developing alternate energy sources.  


My plan is to comment on the entire scope of the project, as I will be able to see a great deal of it directly from my windows. As I said, I am in favor, but I intend to present an objective report from the view of an affected but financially  disinterested viewpoint.


The links below will take you to three articles on the project, all seem informative and fair.  The comments are interesting.  Mostly they are negative, and strangely familiar to the negative comments that appear for ANY project from which the complainers don't benefit financially.  Destruction of the environment.  Dead wildlife.  Sick headaches caused by (fill in the blank project).




Review Times - September 21, 2011
http://www.reviewtimes.com/Issues/2011/Sep/21/ar_news_092111_story3.asp?d=092111_story3,2011,Sep,21&c=n


Advertiser Tribune October 5, 2011
http://www.advertiser-tribune.com/page/content.detail/id/540842.html


The Courier October 5, 2011
http://www.thecourier.com/Issues/2011/Oct/05/ar_news_100511_story3.asp?d=100511_story3%2C2011%2COct%2C05&c=n

warmest regards

Mary

View From A Farmhouse Window

Big Batch Chicago Style Cheesecake recipe (48 servings)

Quick Note Folks:

Yes, absolutely you have time to make this before Thanksgiving, if you do it today.  Cheesecake tastes better if it sits in the fridge for a day.  Well, it does.  I made this recipe again yesterday, while I was making chili.  Seriously, mixing this together takes about 15 minutes, the baking not quite an hour.  Cool, wrap, into the fridge.

Now I did something different this time with the crust.  Saved a bunch of time.  I bought a package of Pillsbury ready made pie crust (the package that has 2 rolled single crusts for a 9 inch pie).  I used that for the bottom crust.  Line the bottom of 2 of  the spring-form pans, trim the excess, piece together the bottom of the third.  Do not pre-bake the crust, just pour the cake batter in on top and bake as directed for the cake.  Worked dandy.

If you don't need 3 cheese cakes, divide the ingredients by 3.

It Is All About The Cheesecake!

Note before you start -- this recipe makes 3 nine inch round cheesecakes. (48 servings)

Cheesecake freezes beautifully.

CrustPreheat oven to 325 degrees
In medium sized bowl combine:
3 Cups all purpose flour
1/2 Cup sugar
1/2 Teaspoon baking powder
1/4 Teaspoon grated lemon peel (from real fresh lemons not the dried stuff in the jar)

Mix well, then add
1 Cup softened butter (real butter, I use salted butter, if you prefer sweet butter, that works fine too. I have no idea what fake butter or shortening will do to this recipe and I don't want to know, if you try either, please do not tell me.)

Mix again until all ingredients are combined. You should be able to easily form a pliable ball from the dough with your hands.

Pliable like pie crust or play dough, not sticky.

If the dough seems stiff or wont form a ball - add water one tablespoon at a time until you can form a pliable ball.

Divide the dough into three pieces. Smash the dough into the bottom only of three nine inch spring form or straight sided cake layer pan. You can get all neat about it and roll the dough out and cut a nice circle then lay that in the bottom of the pan, but you were just smooshing the dough around with your hands to form a ball then divide it in three so you decide if you want to get out a rolling pin.

Bake the crust in your preheated (you did preheat -- right?) oven for 10 minutes. You don't want the crust to brown, just set, it will finish browning when you bake the cheesecake.

CheesecakeRemove your pans from the oven, set aside to cool. Turn the oven temperature up to 350 degrees.

In a very large bowl combine
9 eight ounce packages of softened cream cheese.  (single cake = 3 packages)
3 cups sugar (single cake = 1 cup)
1/3 cup all purpose flour (Single cake = use 2 tablespoons flour) 
1/2 tablespoon grated lemon peel (Single cake = 1/2 teaspoon)
1/2 tablespoon vanilla (single cake = 1/2 teaspoon)

Mix -Mix - Mix -- mix until well blended

then add
7 eggs (I use extra large eggs -- but cheesecake is pretty forgiving so if you use large or jumbo it should not make a huge difference. If you use small eggs, you are on your own.) (single cake = 2 eggs)

3/4 cup 1/2 and 1/2 (single cake 1/4 cup)

Mix until well combined. Pour cheesecake mixture into your prepared pans.

Bake at 350 degrees for around 50 minutes. Cheesecake is done when only the middle 2 inches of the cake jiggle when you move the pan slightly. Take the cakes out of the oven to cool. The middle will finish setting while the cake cools.

After the cake has cooled run a spatula around the outside of the cake to loosen it from the side of the pan. Do not remove the side of the spring form pan at this point. Cover cake with plastic wrap and put it in the refrigerator to chill at least four hours before serving. If you are going to freeze the cake, skip the refrigerator and put the plastic wrapped cake right into the freezer.

Raspberry Sauce
2 cups frozen whole raspberries
1 cup sugar
Place the raspberries and the sugar into a heavy saucepan. Heat over low heat until the berries are thawed and stirring combines the berries and the sugar into a liquid. Increase heat to medium. Cook, stirring frequently until the mixture reaches the "jell" stage on a candy thermometer.
Chill sauce and serve over slices of cheesecake.

One nine inch cake should be cut into at least 16 slices.