Celebrations, Google, Dogs,

Elizabeth Seckman was saying, on her blog, that she liked August because her birthday and her anniversary were both in that month which means presents. I hadn't thought about it before, but of course September is the same for me, birthday and anniversary although if I want presents I have to buy them for  myself LOL. Pity really because Matt used to be so good at surprise presents. I remember one time in England we went to a favourite restaurant and Matt ordered wine. It took me a while to realise the restaurant didn't normally serve wine in silver goblets! At our wedding he put gold earrings in my champagne glass and then a friend bet me I couldn't drink it all in one go. When the earrings hit my teeth, I cottoned on to what they had done.

I am still having having trouble with Blogger and Google Chrome but it seems to be when I attach labels to my blogs. Not sure what can be done to fix it.

Hope everyone has an enjoyable Labour Day tomorrow, they have been letting off fireworks all evening and by the sound of it there were some big displays in the park which is a distance from us. Apparently ladydog's dog, Zoey, is scared of the noise although her other dog, Puma, took it all in stride. I remember one of my dogs didn't flinch if you shot a gun (caps) close to him but was terrified of thunder. Odd how different animals react. Our last dog was terrified of rumble strips on the road. I can't remember if I told the story, but we were travelling down to North Carolina in an SUV, loaded to the gills, we had a place at the back all set out for Chinook. She was quite happy although we were so loaded she couldn't see us. Then we went over a rumble strip. The next thing we knew, she was sitting on Matt's lap (he was driving) shaking with fear. In restrospect it was funny, but at the time not so. She was a big dog and trying to control the car under the circumstances was difficult.

This is basically a Yorkshire Pudding - where the name Dutch Baby came from I have no idea.

Cacio e Pepe Dutch Baby

The addictive Cacio e Pepe combination of salty Pecorino cheese and freshly-ground black pepper is

too good not to use on a Dutch baby—so we did just that. The process is simple: heat a skillet in a hot oven, add butter so that it immediately melts and coats the pan, then pour in your batter (just flour, milk, and eggs) so that it hits an already-hot pan and begins to cook. Return it to the oven and watch the magic happen: the center will puff and the edges will crisp. Adding pepper to both the batter and the cheese ensures there’s Cacio e Pepe flavor through and through.

? cup all-purpose flour
2/3 cup whole milk
3 large eggs
¼ tsp kosher salt
1 ¼ tsp black pepper, divided
2 oz pecorino Romano cheese, grated (about ½ cup)
2 Tbs unsalted butter

1. Preheat oven to 425°F. Place a 10-inch cast-iron skillet in oven. (Do not remove skillet while oven preheats.)

2. Whisk together flour, milk, eggs, salt, and 1 teaspoon of the pepper in a medium bowl until no lumps remain, about 1 minute.

3. Toss together cheese and remaining ¼ teaspoon pepper in a small bowl.

4. Remove hot skillet from oven, add butter, and swirl to melt. Immediately pour batter into hot skillet. Top with cheese and bake until golden and puffed, 15 to 18 minutes. Serve warm.

Servings: 4

Author: Grace Elkus
Source: Food & Wine

Have a great day