Gogh if you can!

 

I had a marvelous time at Immersive Van Gogh. A marvelous experience!

A few blooms from the garden

Yowzah

I was recently reminded of this event from several years ago. We returned from dinner with friends and parked our trusty old Buick, which had well over 100,000 miles on it. Once inside while puttering in the kitchen, I heard an odd sound from outside and looked out to see a quite unwelcome sight. Fortunately the fire department arrived quickly.

As you can see, the car was close to my husband's truck and our house.

The house was undamaged. The plastic around the headlights on the truck was a bit melted.

Although the fire burned through the asphalt driveway and the car was a total loss, we felt fortunate!

The mascots are here!

 

Try some yummy pretzel rolls!

These are great for sandwiches or just for munching!

 Pretzel Rolls

Yield: Makes 15 rolls

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups warm (110 to 115 degrees F) water
• 1 Tbsp granulated sugar
• 2 tsp kosher salt
• 1 package (2 1/4 tsp) active dry yeast
• 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
• 10 cups water
• 2/3 cup baking soda
• Pretzel Salt (or coarse sea salt), for sprinkling

Directions:

1. Combine the water, sugar and yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer. Let sit for 5 minutes or until the mixture begins to foam.
2. Add the flour, salt, and butter. Mix with the dough hook on low speed until well combined. Change to medium speed and knead until the dough is smooth and pulls away from the side of the bowl, approximately 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer the dough to a clean, lightly oiled bowl. Cover and let rise for about 1 hour, or until the dough has doubled in size.
3. Separate the dough into 15 equal pieces. Form the dough into rolls and arrange on a lightly floured surface about an inch apart and cover with lightly oiled plastic wrap. Let the rolls rest for 30 minutes. In the meantime, preheat the oven to 425° and lightly oil a baking sheet.
4. In a large stockpot, bring the cold water to a rolling boil and add the baking soda. Drop two rolls into the boiling water and boil for 30 seconds, turning once. Carefully remove with a slotted spoon and transfer to the prepared baking sheet, being careful to let the excess water drain off into the pot. Sprinkle lightly with salt. Repeat with the remaining rolls.
5. Bake the rolls for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown. Let rolls cool on the baking sheets for about 5 minutes, then transfer them to a cooling rack. Serve warm, or at room temperature.