diet Coke

I've had a love affair with diet Coke for a few years now. At least two cans a day & sometimes more. On the way to see Dad I'd stop in Milford to fill the gas tank & get a 20 ounce bottle of diet Coke. By the time I reached Clay Center I'd have to make a bathroom break. I love the fizz of carbonation. I knew the sugar in regular soda wasn't good for my teeth or the number on my bathroom scale so I turned to diet Coke. I even found my fix when in Rome. This photo was taken outside the Vatican while I waited for Don. This week I am trying to break the habit. My last gulp was about 11:00 am yesterday. The experts say this diet soda is also bad for my health. I'm quick to tell my patients at work to quit smoking. It's my turn to give up a bad habit. I hope I make it.

gingko

We have a gingko tree in our front yard. I have always loved its unusual leaves. The unusual shape & texture. It takes a hard frost for it to drop its leaves in the fall. We've had the freeze but it is slow to finally drop them all.

Dear Austin,

Wow, great job making runzas! I'm not surprised that there were no leftovers! Using the frozen dinner rolls for the dough was a good idea but making your own dough is fun. If you make this dough you will need to double your recipe. Use two pounds of meat instead of one. But here is the recipe you've been wanting.

Icebox rolls

2 T. active dry yeast
1/3 cup sugar
2 cups warm water
1 tsp salt
1 egg, well beaten
3 T. melted butter
about 6 cups flour (preferably unbleached)

Mix the yeast & sugar & warm water together in a large bowl. When dissolved add the salt, beaten egg & melted butter. Mix in enough flour until the mixture becomes hard to stir. Then turn the dough out onto a floured working surface & let the dough rest while you clean out the bowl.
Knead the dough, adding more flour as necessary, for about 6-7 minutes until it is smooth & elastic. Grease the cleaned bowl (I use canola oil) & put the dough into it, turning the dough to coat it with the oil. Cover with plastic wrap & let rise until double in volume . . . about 1-2 hours. Place bowl in a warm spot away from drafts.
Punch the dough down, cover with floured plastic wrap, put a plate on top, & store in the refrigerator until ready to use. It will keep for a week.
To make the runzas just rear off as much dough as you need for each runza. You may need to punch the dough down first though. You can also use this dough to make dinner rolls, just shape them & put them on a greased baking sheet. Cover with a kitchen towel & let rise until double in size. Bake in preheated 425 degree oven for 15-20 minutes or until brown.





I hope school is going well. Everything is fine here. This weekend is opening of deer season which your Dad & I are looking forward to. Write when you can.

Love,

Mom

To make the filling for runzas brown your ground meat (beef, lamb, venison) in a skillet. Add diced onion & chopped cabbage. Season with salt & pepper. Cover, decrease heat & let the cabbage cook. Flatten out a piece of dough into a circle 6-7" across (depending on the size of runza you want) scoop spoonful of filling into dough then bring up edges of dough to the middle & pinch together. Place seam side down on greased baking sheet. When pan is full put in heated oven & bake until brown. Spread butter on top while still hot. Leftovers can be wrapped in saran wrap & frozen individually. They heat up great in the microwave.

Angie & Sadie

I didn't go to Omaha to just photograph Angie's dog. I went to photograph them together. I'm working on a new family project. My brother, Roy, told me about a song he liked. The kind that gets stuck in your head all day. I loved it too. Once I heard it I knew what I had to do . . . make a video. I've already made a video with Miranda Lambert's song "The House that Built Me". Great song. I used old photos & combined them with current photos of the house I grew up in out on the farm. Listen to the song here if you haven't heard it already. With the new song Roy suggested getting family members to submit photos of themselves in front of their home. Hence the photo of Angie & Sadie in front of their home in Omaha. Photos inside the home would be great too. For now I'm keeping the song a secret. Unfortunately I cannot share my videos on Youtube due to copyright infringement.











On a side note, if you are in Lawrence tomorrow from 9:00-1:00 stop by the Legion for the craft fair. Nancy, Ashley, Laura & myself will be there selling Lola bags!

the faces of Sadie

I was in Omaha on Sunday to visit my niece, Angie. Sadie is her best friend. She is a beautiful dog with such an expressive face. Or should I say ears?

Lynne

With fresh paint on the walls & the windows uncovered it seemed a great opportunity to photograph Lynne using the natural light . . .









And don't forget to vote!

blue

I've spent some free time this past week helping my friend, Lynne, paint her bedroom, along with her friends, Ted & Rhonda. I spent time flicking stars off the ceiling that her daughter, Emily, had placed there years ago to create a nighttime galaxy. Tape & staples were removed from the walls. Closet reorganized. No time to linger over old family photographs, but we will have to make time later. Primer applied to the walls & then blue paint. Really blue paint! Lynne is an art teacher so she sees this expanse of blue wall as a canvas to add other colors & textures. I'm looking forward to seeing it when it is done.