took a little time off to go out and feed the fishes, who have picked a 97 degree day to come out from under their shelter and eat. But it’s good to count heads and find all the ones who were there…the eagle is staying away, and that suits us.
On the other hand, our chosen seating around the pond is the traditional ceramic drum-style stools, which lead me to believe Japan does not have many 97 degree days. My backside found the usual seat more than its usual ‘comfortably warm.’
Eushu got his rabies shot today, and his tag (as if a kitten would wear it) and he hissed at the vet. Our lad is getting quite a potty-mouth as he matures. He weighs 4 whole pounds. And we are looking at that coat of his with some curiosity. His first kitty-mama did say that there could be Bengal cat in the mix—and far from losing his baby spots, they are spreading into rosettes in the black coat, a leopard-style marking akin to what a black leopard shows in the right light angle. He’s definitely domestic on one side of the blanket, but the other? We are seeing some interesting behaviors, and a phenomenal jumping ability. I was dicing some chicken for our supper the other day, and suddenly realized the kitten had leaped up to the pull-out cutting board and was hanging on, watching with interest. I told Jane—we’re going to have work staying ahead of this one.
Jane planted the chrysanthemums, and we watered the new plants against the burning heat today. I am not fond of temperatures above the 70’s. This is, however, finally normal for summer. The plants will grow, and maybe things will get into good order for winter. Which could come early this year, or be as tardy as summer was in coming.
that’s 77-50 Fahrenheit. And I agree.
For anyone who is suffering through hot weather, I offer the following frozen treat recipe. It’s fast, easy, versatile, and refreshing.
Make a simple syrup of 2/3 C sugar, 2/3 cup water, some citrus zest, and your flavoring of choice. This recipe lends itself well to various herbs and spices, but I have also seen a similar one with canned pineapple, using the juice from that instead of the simple syrup. I have so far done lime/basil and lemon/rosemary. Lavender would probably be good, thyme, mint… feel free to experiment. Remember that cold dulls flavor, so you want to make sure that the flavor is stronger than you would probably like it unfrozen. (To make the syrup, heat the sugar and water until the sugar dissolves, then throw in the flavoring, simmer for around 5 minutes, and let cool. I throw the citrus zest in at the same time so that it can infuse the syrup as well. To give an idea of herb ratio, I used a cup of chiffonaded basil, and about a single layer of rosemary sprigs. Yep, it’s not a real exact recipe.) Once the syrup has cooled, fish out the herbs (for the rosemary, at least. Some people left in the basil, some took it out.) I add in the citrus juice at this time (I did one large lemon, and around 3 limes, since they are much smaller.)
Now, mix a quart of buttermilk and 2/3 C sugar in a bowl. Add in the cooled syrup, stir well to combine.
You now have two options. You can throw this into your ice cream maker and let it go until done. If, like me, you do not have an ice cream maker, pour the buttermilk mixture into a large baking pan (they always say metal, but I’ve done glass with no problems) and pop it in the freezer. Every 30 minutes, take a fork and rake it through the mix, breaking up the large chunks and pushing the frozen stuff towards the middle. In about 3 hours, you will have a smooth, creamy, frozen concoction that tastes wonderful. A little tangy from the buttermilk, a little tart from the citrus, with a light clean taste from the herbs. I put the leftovers into individual serving containers, which will freeze solid. In order to enjoy those, I take them out at the start of the meal, which lets them sit at room temp for about 10 minutes, and then scrape a spoon across the top when eating it (to get the light fluffy texture back) instead of trying to just spoon it up, which will give you large frozen chunks.
Enjoy!