THE OLDER WOMAN Re-Released Digitally--Again.

THE OLDER WOMAN -- which was previously re-released digitally as part of a "Blogger Bundle" -- is being released again all by itself in Kindle, Nook, etc. formats in the middle of April. This is one of my Ft. Bragg books, and you can pre-order now, if you would like.

THIS IS THE KINDLE LINK                       THIS IS THE NOOK LINK

I NEED A BOTANY MAJOR

One of my most favorite things to do this time of year is walk around the yard and see what's blooming. Today it was hyacinths, lilies of the valley, jonquils, violets--purple and pale yellow, poisonous ornamental strawberries, dandelion, forsythia, assorted weeds, e.g., henbit and bluegrass. (I don't consider dandelion a weed because people who have given me dandelion flowers have always been people I adore.)

Then I came across this scary looking thing in one of the red cedar trees--my choice of Christmas trees, by the way, if I had a choice. Outdoor child that I was, I have never seen anything that looked like this. Anybody have any idea what it is?

You will be updated if I find out what it is...

I HAVE LEARNED TO BAKE BREAD...

No, really. I have. See?

This is "no knead" french bread. The recipe is unusual because, well, you don't knead the dough. You mix everything together and stick it into the refrigerator for at least 8 hours -- or up to 5 days. Yes, I'm serious. And it works, and it's delicious.

Here is the recipe:

NO-KNEAD FRENCH BREAD

1 tsp. yeast (bread machine or rapid rise--I use bread machine)

1 cup water (I sometimes use a little more than this)

2 TBS. sugar

1 1/2 tsp. salt

3 TBS. vegetable oil

3 cups bread flour

Mix the dry ingredients together. Add vegetable oil and mix well. Add water and mix well, stirring with a wooden spoon. DO NOT KNEAD.

Place dough in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap or in a plastic bowl with a lid. Refrigerate for 8 hours or up to 5 days.

When ready:

Divide dough in half for two large loaves or in four pieces for small ones. Roll out into a rectangle shape on floured surface until approximately 1/2 inch thick.

Roll the dough up tightly from long side to long side and pinch to seal. (I sprinkle shredded mozzarella on the dough before I roll it up because the grandboys really like it.)

Seal the ends the same way.

Place seam down on oiled baking sheet (or sprinkle cornmeal on it instead).

Let rise until doubled. (Because the dough is cold, it takes about two hours.) (I put mine in the oven with the oven light on.)

Make diagonal slashes in the loaves to release the steam before baking.

BAKE AT 400 DEGREES FOR 5 MINUTES.

THEN LOWER TEMPERATURE TO 350 DEGREES AND BAKE FOR 20 MINUTES MORE. (Oven time will vary depending on oven and the size of the loaves)

LET COOL FOR AT LEAST 20 MINUTES.

This is the only recipe I've tried and I know it works. If you'd like more "no-knead" bread recipes, you can find a recipe book on amazon.

AWAKE, Jason Isaacs, and Me

I know I said I was mad at NBC for canceling PRIME SUSPECT and they couldn't have my 10 PM Thursday time slot ever again, but I watched AWAKE. (What can I say? I like Jason Issacs.)

The question is, can I understand it. Here's what I think happened: Jason Isaacs (Malfoy's father if you're wondering who Jason Isaacs might be) is a police detective. His wife and his son were killed in a car accident. Now he has two states of consciousness. In one, his wife is alive, but his son isn't. In the other, his son is alive, but his wife isn't. But he can't tell which one is "reality"--possibly neither is. He apparently travels between the two when he goes to sleep, and the things he learns in one mind state help him to solve crimes in the other mind state. Or something like that.

There's a big "Wait--what?" frown-factor to watching all this unfold. The bottom line, of course, is Jason Isaacs. Which is probably how they pitched the premise to the show's money people. ("But it's JASON ISAACS!")

Will I program NBC back into that 10 PM Thursday time slot on the DVR? We shall see. As I said, I really do like Jason Isaacs. If worse comes to worse, I'll pull out my CASE HISTORIES DVD's and watch those. (He was excellent in CASE HISTORIES.)

I JUST LOVE ZITS...