Geologic Reproduction

Our daughter had a tooth pulled today, and it was HUGE. Patty commented that she now has a crater in her mouth to which Kim replied "The Grand Canyon had a baby!" I'd post a pic of the tooth, but that would just be gross. Even for me.

Brotherhood

As many of you may have read, I spent a chapter or two of my life playing volunteer firefighter. The bonds that form between firefighters are strong, tight and unbreakable. I doubt they ever bend. This is even true among those who can not stand the sight of each other. A brother is a brother - or sister for that matter. The bonds between firefighters who become friends can not be measured and last long after they leave the fire service. Anyway, we received a call this evening informing us that one who was particularly close suddenly passed Sunday afternoon. Steve, you will be missed. You treated our daughter as one of your own and showered her with presents every Christmas. You played Santa at seasonal fire department functions, and Kim always knew it was you. We traded dog sitting duties when we took our vacations. You and Jan (also from the fire service) invited us and others to your wedding in Hawaii. You were a brother and a friend, a father and a dog lover, a firefighter and a backyard chef, an artist and a surveyer. After I finish this post I will pour myself a second glass of wine and wait for my other 2/3 to go to bed so they won't see a brother cry. Bless you. And Jan, your brothers and sisters are always here for you. We are family. The wine and tears await.

At least I had a beer.

So after the fondant and cake bit a few weeks ago, I redeemed myself by tinkering with a cloths dryer that suddenly stopped working, and then tackling the "I refuse to close" back window on our mini van. Just as I was feeling male again, I realize how I have spent much of the past 30 hours.

Friday evening: Put yest, milk, sugar, salt, and flour into my (yes, my) Kitchen Aid mixer and mix until it forms a soft, moist dough. Put dough in a bag and place in the refrigerator. Clean bowl and place lots and lots and lots (AKA about 1 pound) of butter and a little flour in mixer and mix. Form into a 5 x 6 x 1 inch block and chill in refrigerator overnight. Repeat 3 times - Hell if I'm gonna do this, I'm gonna make lots!

Saturday: Roll out 1 batch of the dough into a 10 x 17 inch rectangle. Place one of the butter/flour blocks on the dough and center it. I'd shoot for the "five hole," but I'm baking and not playing hockey. (I said to "center it") Wrap the ends of the dough around the butter block and seal. Using a French rolling pin, pound the package out to a 14 x 6 x 1 inch rectangle. If dough/butter block is still cool, roll out to a ~25 x ~14 inch rectangle. Fold into thirds so it is about 8 x 14 inches. Wrap in plastic and chill for 2 hours. Repeat for the other two batches of dough and butter blocks.
After the chill, roll the dough/butter into a rectangle about 25 x 14 inches. Fold into a 14 x 8 inch rectangle, wrap and chill for at least 2 hours. Repeat for the others. After the chill roll each batch into a rectangle about 25 inches by 14 inches - do a "wallet fold" to end up with a rectangle about 14 by 6 inches. Cut into rectangles about 6 by 7 inches. Cover each with plastic and chill for at least two hours.
Crack open a bottle of beer and take a swig. Keep beer handy. Swig as needed during the remaining process. Roll each 6 by 7 inch rectangle into a rectangle about 24 by 15 inches. Fold into a 12 by 15 inch rectangle. Cut into triangles with a base between 3 and four inches long - unfold and separate the triangles. Wrap in plastic and freeze for formation into croissant shapes on Thursday.

Where the Wild Things' Boogers Are

The family finally went to see Where the Wild Things Are today, and we all liked it. Our ten year old daughter absolutely loved it, and claims it is the best movie she has ever seen - after Titanic. She was able to immediately make the connection between the wild things and Max's feelings. Simply a well done adaptation of the book. Many critics have provided negative reviews of the adaptation due to the slight darkness of the film, the focus on Max's rage and childish expression of it. Ummm - Max is a child so his dealings with it will be childish. Duh! I think these folks were expecting a film suited for a three year old. I remind them that although the book is written at a level suited for early readers, the story is for a slightly older group.

In other news, my daughter has decided that she will refer to all biologists as "Boogeroligists." I wish there were some clue to where she gets it.

Fun with Fondant

I was asked to make a cake for a friend's birthday, and decided to try working with fondant. From a distance it looked great. Up close it showed the mark of a fondant virgin and I had to use some leftover butter cream frosting to cover the defects. I was hesitant to use fondant due to its reputation, but a little raspberry flavoring and it turned out just fine. My daughter even made one of the flowers. I also think I need a night with the boys before I do something even gayer than cake decorating.