Let me recap the last few days: 1) Saturday I was going to drive to Presidio, but wound up spending the day shopping for some stuff in Alpine, 2) Sunday was an at home work day, 3) Monday Daisy, Steve & I worked together, and 4) Today I am off work and Zuni and I are hoping the RV does not roll over in the wind!
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| After rain all day Friday, the rising sun creates beautiful shadows over the mountains to the north. |
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| Big Bend is noted for the mountains (in this case the Del Carmen's) floating on fog and clouds. |
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| A view of the Chisos & clouds on my way past the main visitor center at Panther Junction. |
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| "Home" is beginning to take shape and looks so inviting with the bright sunshine and blue skies! Added today are potted plants, the hummingbird feeder hung with the flowers, a bird bath & bird feeder, and planters (aka an unused cat litter box!) seeded with basil, lettuce, assorted peppers, and spinach. We'll see if I get anything to harvest! Daisy said the water here is to alkaline that I need to filter the plant water in addition to our drinking water. |
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| Also added today is a compost bin. Doesn't Zuni look so sweet here? Her demeanor belies the fact that just a moment ago she was trying to rip open the bin to get at the contents. I think the "Wicked" bag says it all! |
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| It doesn't look like much, but it will take us days to cut out this brush so drivers can see approaching traffic. Everything "bites" of course - most of it is mesquite trees and very thorny. |
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| Daisy is happy because she never gets to be in any pictures, but with me aboard I photograph everyone! |
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| Lunchtime. |
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| We also patrolled the hot springs parking lot and trails. Wow! What a change in the river since last April. The river is lower and deeper and there is a big drop-off from the hot spring. In the past the river bed was higher with a big gravel bar. |
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| Rock nettle along the hot springs trail. I did not show it but there is a huge amount of new rockfall from the limestone cliffs along the river. Hiker beware! |
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| Ah, fresh baked bread today! (Yes, I baked it.) |
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| Zuni is a little freaked out by the wind today. It started out around 5 am at 20 mph but is now gusting to 47+ mph. The RV is really rockin' and reelin'. We have to step (in Zuni's case Jump) carefully because our footing is not reliable with all that movement.Freeze warnings tonight too! Not too much different than home huh? |
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This is an experiment to see how video uploads. The wind at RGV today:
Hi Amy:
ReplyDeleteGood looking bread!
Here's our favorite!
John & Mary
Kennebunk
"Shaggy - No Knead - Dutch Oven Bread "
Plan ahead as you’ll want to serve it warm, and fresh from the oven!
No-Knead Bread
(adapted by Mark Bittman, originally published by The New York Times Nov. 8, 2006)
3 cups - White BREAD flour (we like King Arthur). If you use regular white flour it will not turn out as good as Bread flour!
1 1/4 Tsp - one & one quarter teaspoon instant YEAST
1 1/4 Tsp - one & one quarter teaspoon SALT
1 5/8 cups - WATER ( 1 1/2 Cups Plus 2 tablespoons warm water)
Cornmeal or wheat bran as needed to dust the Dutch Oven
Dutch Oven w/cover 4-6 quart is best OR a covered casserole dish(s) as you can cut the dough in ½ and bake 2 smaller loafs.
1. In a large bowl combine flour, yeast and salt. Add 1 and five-eighths cups [1 and one-half cups plus 2 tablespoons] water, and stir until blended;
dough will be shaggy and sticky. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rest at least 12 hours, preferably about 18 hrs , at warm room temperature,
about 70 degrees. If room is colder it will not “rise” as much.
2. Dough is ready when its surface is dotted with bubbles. Lightly flour a work surface and place dough on it; sprinkle it with a little more flour
and fold it over on itself once or twice. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest about 15 minutes.
3. Using just enough flour to keep dough from sticking to work surface or to your fingers, gently and quickly shape dough into a ball.
Generously coat a cotton towel (not terry cloth) with flour, wheat bran or cornmeal; put dough seam side down on towel and dust with
more flour, bran or cornmeal. Cover with another cotton towel and let rise for about 2 hours. When it is ready, dough will be more than
double in size and will not readily spring back when poked with a finger.
4. At least a half-hour before dough is ready, heat oven to 450 degrees. Put a 6- to 8-quart heavy covered pot (cast iron, enamel,
Pyrex or ceramic) in oven as it heats. When dough is ready, carefully remove pot from oven. Slide your hand under towel and turn dough over
into pot, seam side up; it may look like a mess, but that is OK. Shake pan once or twice if dough is unevenly distributed; it will straighten out as it bakes.
Cover with lid and bake 30 minutes, then remove lid and bake another 15 to 30 minutes, until loaf is beautifully browned. Cool on a rack.
5. Yield: 1 ½ pound loaf. OR cut in 1/2 and bake in 2 smaller pots /casserole dishes if you don’t have a Dutch oven.