Hot Days ~ Sore Muscles ~ New Books and other ramblings

Woke up to 77°F at 6am.  It will be another hot one, but not in the 100's thankfully.  It will be in the 90's though.

I didn't check the heat index yesterday.  I was too busy weeding the last of the tomatoes.  Our mower/handy man was mowing, and the mower broke down.  He spent the hottest part of the day fixing it.  I took him about 3 bottles of ice water and two popsicles to keep him cool.  Not a good time for the mower to stop working.

I actually cooked dinner in the heat.  I had a brain moment, and normally cook chicken fajitas over the grill or stove top.  This time I baked it in the oven as a sheet pan dinner.  So much easier and tasted great!  We treated our handyman to some too.

I feel like I have read the Self-reliance book before, but I double and triple checked my shelf.  I did not have it.  I have not had time to read either yet (other than flipping thru it to take a look-see).  I ordered the one on chickens, because it has instructions on dehydrating eggs (and other ways to stock up eggs), and canning chicken, recipes and more good information.  During this time of increasing inflation, I wanted to make sure we were prepared.

Boy oh boy, my body aches from the garden work yesterday.  I'm not sure I'll get out there today in this heat.  I completely forgot about preparing for a dinner tonight, so that is on the list first.

English Muffin Rings

Over about a year ago, I looked into buying a set of baking rings for English muffins.  I guess I just sort of forgot about it, as I had not baked some in a while.  The above photo is making the English muffins without the rings.  The dough would rise nicely, but spread outward and delicate to move from oil sprayed foil to the pan (as directed on the original recipe).

I ordered myself a set and gave it a whirl.  Instead of using foil, I used parchment paper, cutting it into 8 squares.  I lightly oiled them and put the dough in the rings during the second rise.  I also oiled the inside of the rings.

I then could pull off one at a time delicately, and boy did I get a thicker muffin.  Will do it this way from now on.

I also used the rings to fry eggs for muffin sandwiches.  Works great!  You do need to oil the ring, but it makes eating the breakfast sandwich much easier.  Love my new kitchen gadget.