SPELLING BEE

New location

“Life is either a daring adventure or nothing” -Helen Keller That is a fact check for me! I was thinking I was somewhere in between those two statements for most of my life. These past nine months have been a full adventure into the land of new things and experiences. I am pleased to report that this past week Sitka’s been recovering from his life threatening experience. I have no new earth shaking news or experiences to report.

As close as I come to that is the fact that I got my ice cube maker working again. That is kind of a “biggy” as both Sitka and I are into ice and it would pain me to go buy frozen water. I kept thinking that it would soon kick in and start doing more ice as the ice container in the freezer got lower and lower. When I took the last few precious cubes out of the container and split them with Sitka, I decided that it was time for real action. The first thing I did was go to the University of Utube to see if I could find easy answers. The next thing one has to do is find the model that matches your problem model. I never dreamed KitchenAid made so many models. I double, triple and even more times checked to be sure the ice cube maker was not turned off. They did not do a good design in saying “it's on” or “it's off”. They kept saying to check that the water hose was not twisted. I kept saying that the water hose is not showing any place and sure didn't know how it could be twisted. Getting the screwdrivers out and start taking apart the appliance was not going to happen. Another suggestion was that the water filter might be plugged. I could get water to drink but maybe the water was not going to the freezing part. I could handle that as the filter was just about to the end of its life cycle and I thought I remembered how to change the filter. (That is a whole story in itself as Husband Larry always did that job. I have had several grown men almost in tears trying to change that puppy. My University training came into use and I DID IT)! Soon after the change out, I heard that magic sound of new ice hitting the bottom of the empty storage bin. A sound that carries great magic and brings smiles to ones face.

It's Happening! Those back to school signs are popping up all over and it appears the list to do that is getting bigger and bigger each year. I prefer to think of August as the month of the fruits and all the things you make to enjoy this amazing time of the year. Yes, we are spoiled with our modern grocery store ways of almost having everything all year long, but things like summer peaches are a different story. We can't grow them locally like our strawberries, but they are shipped in fresh from the areas that are in season right now. Raspberries, cherries, blackberries and blueberries are also at their peak.

Eating fresh, as is, is always my first choice but then the crisps, cobblers, grunts and other words come to mind. (I think of pie as more work and more spring or fall treats). The summer magazines always have “new” recipes to try, most of us have cook books tucked away so usually the quickest way is to Google ways to use these fresh summer delights. Different toppings or the way the ingredients are put together is the reason for the different names for the yummies. Sometimes a lot of spices are added or maybe just some sugar soaking before baking the treat changes is what it is called.

I found what sounds like something I NEED to try very soon. The recipe is from King Arthur flour and comes with the name of “Hot Summer Spoon Cake”. Your choice of fruit is “macerated” which means it is allowed to rest in sugar and make its juices come out. Then you mix together a few ingredients and stir in the fruit and bake. This type of dessert is usually baked just before serving and then it's time to bring out the whipped cream or ice cream. Note that this recipe has almond flour in it. So long for now, I am suddenly very hungry for dessert!

By Bea Westerberg