Pluots and other oddities

 

I bought a bag of ripe Pulots at Lone Pine last week-- a hybrid stone fruit consisting of about 75% plum and 25% apricot. Just enough to make a kuchen with a simple cake recipe torn from an ancient Sunset magazine. I've used it dozens of times with all kinds of summer fruit.

The weekend was one for cooking inside, stormy and rainy, with only brief periods of clearing. We had barbecue ribs with corn salad, sirloin steak (then a fancy steak salad the next day) also a good tofu curry to balance out all that meat.

I doctored up this Costco sauce, clean and nice tasting for something out of a jar. Of course, it probably will be gone when I go back for more. That's Costco for you.

And I wasn't the only one busy in the kitchen. Over in Twisp, Maya made these perfect Spritz cookies and gluten free to boot. I've never had success with those little buggers--they either spread like pancakes or the dough sticks in the dispenser. She makes it look easy. Maya gives me a hard time about the packaged mixes in my lazy pantry. "Nana, that is NOT baking." She's right. I wish we could get her on one of those PBS kid's baking competitions.

I got out for a little while on Saturday. The South Seattle Community College had a plant sale at their greenhouse. Who could resist something called a "Fizzle Sizzle," a bulb succulent native to South Africa. Contrary to plant logic and Northwest climate, it grows in the winter and goes dormant in the summer, as the student explained. Water and fertilize during the dark months. Weird.

Going off daylight savings time is a rough transition for the early-to-bed-early-to-risers. I was so tired by 7 last night I could hardly keep my eyes open. I slept enough hours, but still woke up way too early. And here I am, burning up my eyes on the computer screen at 5 am while someone else is sound asleep. Sad.

Then there's that doom and gloom feeling when it gets dark at 4 in the afternoon at our latitude. A rib dinner helped, but could have been a more cheerful day if the Seahawks hadn't played such a pitiful game against Baltimore. Lost 3-37.