Military Romance Author
In case you missed National Watermelon Day on August 3rd, the animals at the Oregon Zoo can give us some tips on how to best eat this summer snack. Since I can’t figure out if this is our third or fourth heat wave, why count anyway, thought it might be a nice treat to enjoy.
The mongoose, bats, lions and elephants have excellent snacking techniques, but the bear has this watermelon scarfing treat time down.
Have a great, safe, cool, weekend and Happy Quirky Friday!
by Kimberly A. Cook
Monday I took a road trip with a friend up the Columbia River Gorge. Haven’t been through since the devastating wildfires last Fall. Wanted to check in with Mother Nature. Glorious weather this week, so the fruit blooms and the mountains were out.
Kathy volunteered to drive, which is such a treat for me. I gave her photo lessons in return. And lunch too. Excuse to eat at my favorite restaurant in Hood River, the Sixth Street Bistro. So I wanted to share with you some pics from our adventure.
Stopped at Multnomah Falls which only allowed visitors recently. While the lodge gift shop is open, the parking lot is fenced off and the old highway too. So driving into the parking lot on I-84 is the only entrance. It was nice to not dodge crossing cars on the way to the Falls, but there were people everywhere anyway.
After doing some combat photography fighting the people, dogs, strollers, water spray and flying pollen in the wind, I got a few good pics. Shooting into the sun not the best, but I managed to worm my way on each side of the Falls to take photos.
Then it was off to Hood River for lunch, then exploring the road up the mountain for some of my favorite picture-taking sites. The fruit blooms were opening up and the mountains were basking in the sun.
We are having record temperatures right now, might be 86 today, and we broke a record yesterday. Rain back on Friday, but who cares, enjoy the sun!
Ready to unleash your cameras? Pics away!
by Kimberly A. Cook (Twitter@ WarriorTales)
Why do the desserts featured on the covers of magazines not turn out the same way when I bake them? I passed up this magazine several times in the store until I finally succumbed and bought it. Last weekend I decided to take the big plunge and bake it for company. In the magazine it’s called a “Rustic Fruit Tart.”
First I used frozen berries instead of fresh, since they are out of season. Plus I have enough frozen berries in my freezer to feed Texas. Then I decided to use the fabulous Pillsbury pie crusts to save time. I use them for the pumpkin pies, so this should be fine with thinner crust than homemade dough.
Thawed the frozen blueberries and raspberries overnight in the refrigerator. Then in the morning I got up and took out the fruit, egg and one pie crust to warm to room temperature while I had breakfast. Put the ingredients together, followed the directions and it looked fabulous before baking.
Forty-five minutes later the buzzer dinged on the oven and out it came. Wait a minute. It doesn’t look like the picture! I’ve heard rumors that food stylists use all kinds of tricks to make food look good for photos, from spraying with cooking oil to using automotive products. Mine was virgin pristine and ugly.
Imagine the main culprit was the soggy thawed fruit, even though the berries held up well. And if I’d made the crust from scratch I could have made it thicker to hold the juices. The recipe did warn me there would be spillage.
They also recommended using parchment paper, which I did. Complete disaster. I couldn’t get it off the paper to move it on to the serving plate. So I airlifted the tart, paper and all, then cut the paper into a circle to fit the plate. Next time I’m using the round, flat pizza pan I thought of using in the first place. No parchment paper.
In the end it all didn’t matter. It tasted great and everyone liked it. My ugly tart.
All’s well that tastes well, to paraphrase the Bard.
It just so happens I have some fresh pears to use up now. Ugly tarts ahoy!
You must be logged in to post a comment.