Vodka Pie Crust

It was a success - the America's Test Kitchen aka L-S Test Kitchen produced one tasty strawberry-rhubarb pie using the ATK vodka pie crust recipe. Very flaky, tasty.

Memorial Day Weekend Painting

OK, OK, so I haven't had a post since Feb? I guess we've been busy! It was rainy on Memorial Day Weekend. Marc and I painted our bedroom - a different shade of tan. Consider it cafe con leche. This time with an eggshell so that the dogs won't scuff it up as much (as the preceding flat paint). I also changed all the light switches and outlets to a modern light. We rotated all the furniture 90 degrees clockwise. This way we can take advantage of the territorial view of Lake Washington out the West window. Big bang for $30 plus labor! Marc and I worked well together painting - no fights... :-) Top photo is old color/layout. Mike

Feature in uweek!

Hi all - with the popularity of curling and the Olympic games, many in the media are writing stories on curling. This week I was featured in uweek, the University's newspaper. See the story at the following URL:

UW resident curls, just for fun -- not for Olympic glory

Enjoy!

Mike

Cars, naval ships, and family visits

My dad came to visit in Jan. One really neat thing we did is visit the Lemay Car Collection. This guy collected thousands of cars throughout the years, and they are housed on an 88 acre former Catholic military high school campus. The pink 1946 Kaiser convertible in the picture is in the boys shower room just off the pool (which has been filled and now has cars on the floor built over it). We also went to Bremerton, via the Tacoma Narrows Bridge. We lunched in Gig Harbor on the way. Anyway, Bremerton is a naval town, thus the pics of the ships. We also saw a theater now church with homage to Rick Warren. Not to mention the next day, while shopping in Sammamish, we saw the opposite end of the spectrum - a tribute to soil. It was a great time together, although not quite as sunny as last year. PS I also included the picture of the Tucker - notice the center, moving, third headlight! The yellow car is a great Buick convertible. The pickup is a 1952 Chevy - just trying to get an idea of original brake lights for my truck. The red shoe car is a novelty - two seater.

Christmas Tree

Well, here are some pics of our tree. We bought a fake. Good thing, as it is still up! Marc did a fabulous job of decorating - much of it is mini-silverware and cups and saucers. It was a hit at our holiday parties. I think that at this point we might leave it up until March 19th. Oh, and Mary bought us a Ken doll ornament. Bailey posed in the background.

Dachshund Ying-Yang

Well, the dogs just curled up to sleep like this last night - assumed a ying-yang without any coaching. So I thought that I'd snap a picture! It's kind of true - these dogs are opposite in personality, yet have lived together > 10 years and are close. Enjoy! Mike

A lap greyhound

Rhea came for dinner with Chuck and Erin last night. Despite her 50 pound weight, she feels as comfortable in a lap as a dachshund!

Artisan bread

Well, now that we have the dutch oven, I was able to make the America's Test Kitchen artisan bread! Take a look!

Here's a link to the recipe:
http://www.grouprecipes.com/52997/almost-no-knead-bread.html

Tom and Jerrys

When we've traveled back to NE for Christmases, I have been introduced to the Tom and Jerry. Marc and I happened to run across this set at the University UCC Church thrift sale - aka Superfluity - and picked it up for $6. Eight mugs are included. Of note, the kind of T&J that we have grown to love consists of the batter with beaten, separated eggs with sugar. We served these up at two dinners in december this year. >What is the Tom and Jerry? Well, here is a blurb from wikipedia:

A Tom and Jerry is a traditional Christmastime cocktail in the United States. It was devised by sports writer Pierce Egan in the 1820s.

It is a variant of eggnog with brandy and rum added and served hot, usually in a mug or a bowl.

Another method uses egg whites, beaten stiff, with the yolks and sugar folded back in, and vanilla extract added. A few spoonfuls are added to a mug, then hot water and rum are added, and it is topped with nutmeg.

The name is related neither to the popular MGM cartoon nor to the earlier Tom and Jerry by Van Beuren Studio, nor to famous bartender "Professor" Jerry Thomas, the author of one of the first bartender's guides, How to Mix Drinks (1862). Instead, it is a reference to Egan's book, Life in London, or The Day and Night Scenes of Jerry Hawthorn Esq. and his Elegant Friend Corinthian Tom (1821), and the subsequent stage play Tom and Jerry, or Life in London (also 1821).

To publicize the book and the play, Egan introduced a variation of eggnog by adding ½ fl oz of brandy, calling it a "Tom and Jerry". The additional fortification helped popularize the drink.

Christmas in Nebraska

This year Marc and I traveled back to Nebraska to spend Christmas with his family. It was quite snowy, so our travel got delayed a bit, and the extended family Christmas event was canceled. We spent some time at Marc's parents' house in Lincoln and had a great time! Mark K, Joel, and I each purchased a 40 oz bottle of Busch Light, conveniently wrapped in a brown paper bag. All in all, it was very relaxing, the food was excellent, and the company great! Merry Christmas to all - and best to you in 2010! Mike

Snuggled Up

We bought a little bed for Bailey, thinking that he would like one of his own - we also have a little red bed. But these 10 and 12 yo dachshunds like to snuggle up in one bed!