and Burnt Butter Bombs
The weather has done a one-eighty. It looked like we were going to be facing an early winter. The temperatures have been dropping below zero (Celsius) over night and it even snowed. Today however after some early day wind chill, full sunny skies and warmer breezes returned.
Starting tomorrow, the forecast says highs in the teens and in northern Alberta that is warm for mid-October.
Even with the west wind blowing sharp, the day was still too nice to hang around the our abode. Minime and I grabbed some gloves and hats, borrowed my sisters two golden retrievers, a willing cousin, and headed out for a very long walk to enjoy the weekend Autumn day.
If you travel a little more north from where I live, you will encounter almost unending boreal forest, but nearby (walking distance) it is mostly farmers fields.
Most of the sunny canola and burnished wheat have been long harvested, but the gold and copper persists with the aspen trees now wearing their fall finery. You will find shades of red and orange closer to the grown in the underbrush. (Pictured here) The palette is complex and warm.
There are still some wildflowers hanging in there. I imagine with the extended warm weather they may stick with us a little longer. I will be on the hunt over the next couple weeks. I am not sure what these yellow flowers are called but they reminded me of snap dragons. Their color only seemed to intensify as they aged and wilted.
It was a riot of natural beauty and the deer leaping, as we traversed the old railroad corridor turned trail. About midway, we switched gears and left the trail for the country roads. We had overshot how long we wanted to be out and ended using a field as a short cut. Stepping over tall grass is hard work, especially after close to 20 000 steps. I was tired but happy to have gotten the exercise.
I have been OMAD'ing it and with all that activity, famished didn't quite describe the hunger. Fortunately, there was some left over goose stew, thickened with Japanese pumpkin to keep it low-carb, that just needed reheating. I added some shredded cheese and it was delicious.
I definitely needed some couch time after our trek. I generally only have a streaming service or two at a time. Prime is usually one of them for the free delivery, I currently also have Netflix. Not much of interest on the service really. Underwhelmed. I have seen most worth watching, but I am enjoying the Wednesday series.
The Addam's family most moody, black-bedecked daughter has been kicked out of her Normie school and sent off to a boarding school, Nevermore. Evermore is a school for outcasts: vampires, werewolves, gorgons, shapeshifters and other creatures from dark lore. Once there Wednesday discovers that the bodies being found in the woods the local authorities have been attributing to bear attacks are anything but. There is a murderous monster on the loose. Wednesday is never one to shrink from a challenge. Using her psychic abilities and the curmudgeonly local sheriff's reluctant aid, she sets out to solve the murder.
The series is directed by Tim Burton and has a stellar cast, including Catherine Zeta Jones, Gwendolyn Christie and even Christina Ricci, as the only normie teacher at Nevermore. (Or is she?) Jennie Ortega's portrayal runs away with it as the titular character. If you are fan of the Harry Potter franchise, you will love Wednesday. The small town murder adds touches of David Lynch's twin peaks. Over all, I would say it is wonderful Halloween season viewing.
I have been multi-tasking while watching Wednesday, with some cooking and also writing this blog. I finally exhausted by burnt butter bomb stash. Time to make some more. Fortunately, they are quick and easy to make. Melt the butter over medium heat and let it simmer away until the butter turns brown. It will boil, than bubble, turn to foam, and then settle to brown. Pour the mixture from the saucepan into a pyrex measuring cup, let it cool a little, and then pour onto a parchment lined pan or silicone molds. Refrigerate and enjoy with your morning coffee. You are welcome. I changed up the recipe a little. This time I mixed my butter types. I used salted butter last time and found it just a little too salty. This time I went 50/50 salted and unsalted. I added some cinnamon and vanilla stevia drops to sweeten and flavour my mixture. To half the the mixture, I also added orange extract and anise oil. A little caveat; water-based extracts have to be added at the beginning or you will have a little explosion if added to hot butter.
I hoping the anise and orange will taste like Halloween. I will let you know.
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