[cwcdesign]

I'm so sorry Joan - that is really difficult. Prayers for you and your sister.

Washington Post said something like 440,000 people got their first vaccinations last week. That means we finally hit the 70% goal set for July 4th. Just think, if everyone had gotten them then, we probably wouldn't be in this mess now.

[cwcdesign]

Will was planning to grill hamburgers, but with the torrential rains, he had to change plans. Based on what was quickly available he made a different sheet pan, his version of arroz con pollo using chicken sausage and he made brown rice.

That means from both dinners we have enough for leftovers tonight.

[cwcdesign]

Thanks you guys. Tomorrow Will and I are going to the garden to pick some of our flowers to take to the columbarium.

It’s also my 6 year anniversary at work.

• This reply was modified 3 years, 7 months ago by cwcdesign.

[cwcdesign]

We are back to having to wear masks at work. I gather it's pretty bad down here. I'm frustrated that a public health issue has become so political.

We also get people coming in who are "shocked" that we don't take cash. We were just about to start again and then we had to put that on hold.

On a related note, tomorrow is the first anniversary of my mother's death from this. I keep reminding myself how awful it would have been for her if she had stuck around and look at it as a blessing that it didn't take long and she wasn't in pain.

[cwcdesign]

Last night I made a sheet pan dinner with chicken sausage with gouda in it, cauliflower, red pepper and onion. I tossed everything with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, a nice Mediterranean herb blend a friend had given me, S&P. It was nice and light - perfect for this heat.

[cwcdesign]

Mike, your tomatoes look beautiful!

Ironically our beefsteaks weren’t that much bigger when Will had to pull them because of the bacterial wilt. They were good, but not juicy beefsteaks - sigh

[cwcdesign]

I had a $10 coupon that I had to use by today at KABC. So I ordered some diastatic malt for Will, cuz after all his reading, he wants to try it. He also suggested I order some bread flour. They had an 8 lb bag for $5.53 in the packaging they were using last year - final cost with the coupon $3.30 or thereabouts. I also ordered some buckwheat flour because I keep wanting to try it and thought I’d give their silicone pastry brush a try. I’m not holding out hope, but if it works, that would be great.

[cwcdesign]

We had hoagies/grinders/subs on rolls Will made (see baking) with cold cuts, pickles and pickled peppers Will made, lettuce and one of the last two tomatoes from the garden. It was a nice dinner for a VERY hot and humid day.

[cwcdesign]

Will decided he wanted to make hoagie buns. He looked at lots of recipes including King Arthur's but none quite had the profile he wanted. He found a recipe and watched the video.

The instructions were a little difficult to understand. I'm still trying to get my head around why the author felt it was necessary to proof instant yeast. He also said to proof with diastatic malt but it was optional. No mention of using sugar instead. Of course it didn't proof, but I know that the SAF yeast in the freezer is good and I also bought some at HT on my way home. Will had never used yeast before. I told him to go ahead and make the dough - it was instant yeast and the point was it didn't need to be proofed. The dough rose nicely. He kneaded it the way it was indicated, but it was rather rough handling.

The bottom line is they did bake up nicely, if a little dense. The flavor is really good. He will try again with the modifications he's learned. I'll keep you posted.

[cwcdesign]

I wish we had a decent farmer’s market- Will brought some more eggplant from the garden - I grilled that, onion and a few mushrooms - chopped it up and tossed it with cavatappi, cream, parmigian, and fresh basil - it was good

[cwcdesign]

When I finished my Zoom yoga class this morning, I came out and Will had made drop biscuits with sourdough discard - his first time and they are really good. We had egg, cheese and turkey sausage breakfast sandwiches for brunch. Yum.

[cwcdesign]

We had tuna sandwiches

[cwcdesign]

I think the paella was even better tonight. The flavors melded nicely

[cwcdesign]

Oh yum, BakerAunt - sometimes the photos on the websites make me think I want them too.

[cwcdesign]

All our tomato plants are gone - most of the plants in the community garden look the same. Beans and cucumbers are gone. The only things still doing well are the eggplants, peppers and flowers - all the peppers are some version of hot peppers. I forgot to ask Will, but I think the basil and parsley are still doing OK.

The folks who took over the one plot we've already relinquished have started setting up their beds. Will offered them the cattle panel trellises he made and they gladly took them and have already put up one of them - great for tomatoes, peas or beans. When the rest of our plants are done we will give up our current bed.

I don't think I've mentioned it, but I closed in June on the condo I've been living in - I bought it from my landlord. So, now we're figuring out what spaces are "ours" and what the limitations on putting planters on one side where we get the most sun. We didn't start tomato plant seeds soon enough for a fall crop, but we're going to focus on greens and such which should hopefully be easier than trudging to the garden.

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