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| 1/2 pound sharp Cheddar cheese, grated (about 2 cups) | ||
| 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened | ||
| 1/4 teaspoon celery seeds | ||
| 1/2 teaspoon worcestershire sauce | ||
| 1/4 teaspoon dry mustard | ||
| 1/4 teaspoon Tabasco sauce | ||
| 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper | ||
| 1 cup all-purpose flour | ||
| 1 teaspoon kosher salt DIRECTIONS
|
A solar outburst sparked surprising displays of the northern lights as far south as Arkansas, Mississippi and North Carolina tonight, marking one of the farthest-reaching auroral shows in years.
As
word spread about the geomagnetic storm, photos streamed onto the Web
from the usual places, such as Norway, Sweden and Iceland, but also
from locales that are typically too far south to see the northern
lights: Oklahoma ... Kansas ... Kentucky ... Tennessee ... Virginia.
Arkansas photographer Brian Emfinger was alerted to the
northern lights by SpaceWeather.com's aurora alert. "I ran out and put
my camera out and immediately saw reddish aurora," he wrote. "I ran out
into the field, and within a few minutes the aurora went crazy!"
The cause of the show was a coronal mass ejection from the sun
that hit Earth's magnetosphere at about 2 p.m. ET, SpaceWeather.com
reported.
The impact caused a strong compression in the magnetic
field, allowing electrically charged particles from the solar wind to
penetrate down to geosynchronous orbit (22,000 miles or 35,000
kilometers in altitude). That means Earth-orbiting satellites could
have been exposed to the solar storm, analysts said.
Solar
activity is on the upswing toward an expected peak of the sun's 11-year
cycle in 2013, and the past few months have been marked by strong
auroral activity. Here's a picture of an aurora as seen from the
International Space Station on Sept. 29 as it flew over the midwestern
United States.
Despite our morning low of 35 degrees, my roses are still blooming. It's supposed to be in the 30s again tonight, so I don't imagine my beauties will last much longer.
Preheat oven to 350°. Prepare crust first. In a large mixing bowl, combine the crust ingredients with a wooden spoon until moist. Transfer to a 13″x9″ ungreased baking pan and spread evenly over the bottom of the pan. Set aside.
Next, prepare the filling. In a large mixing bowl, beat cream cheese with an electric mixer until fluffy. Add the eggs, vanilla, and melted butter, and continue to mix. Next, add the confectioner’s sugar one cup at a time until all sugar is mixed in. Pour filling over the crust, and spread evenly with a spatula.
Bake gooey butter cake for 40-45 minutes until it is browned, but the center is still jiggles when the pan is shaken. Cool for 30 minutes. Sprinkle with additional confectioner’s sugar and serve.
This marvelous kitty kat will adorn our canvas tote bags for Mardi Gras 2012. Isn't he just the cutest little guy you've ever seen! He's all dressed - complete with mask - and ready to party!
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Place the chicken breasts on a sheet pan and rub them with olive oil. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Roast for 35 to 40 minutes, or until cooked through. Set aside until cool enough to handle, then remove the meat from the bones and discard the skin. Cut the chicken into large dice. You will have 4 to 6 cups of cubed chicken.
In a small sauce pan, heat the chicken stock and dissolve the bouillon cubes in the stock. In a large pot or dutch oven, melt the butter and saute the onions over medium-low heat for 10 to 15 minutes, until translucent. Add the flour and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes. Add the hot chicken stock to the sauce. Simmer over low heat for 1 more minute, stirring, until thick. Add 2 teaspoons salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and the heavy cream. Add the cubed chicken, carrots, peas, onions, and parsley. Mix well. Place the stew in a 10 x 13 x 2-inch oval or rectangular baking dish. Place the baking dish on a sheet pan lined with parchment or wax paper. Bake for 15 minutes.
Remove the stew from the oven and arrange the biscuits on top of the filling. Brush them with egg wash, and return the dish to the oven. Bake for another 20 to 30 minutes, until the biscuits are brown and the stew is bubbly.
Note: To make in advance, refrigerate the chicken stew and biscuits separately. Bake the stew for 25 minutes, then place the biscuits on top, and bake for another 30 minutes, until done.
Sweet Potato Biscuits
adapted from Martha Stewart Living Magazine
yield: about 20 small-size biscuits
1 pound sweet potatoes or yam (one large one is usually sufficient)
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
8 tablespoons unsalted butter (chilled), cut into small pieces
1/4 cup milk
Preheat oven to 400 degrees
Prick the sweet potato and bake until soft (about one hour…you can also do this more quickly in a microwave). Once the sweet potato has cooled, scoop the flesh from the skin and pass through a food mill, ricer or sieve. You should have about 1 3/4 cups puree.
Stir together the flour, baking powder, sugar, salt and cayenne. Cut in butter with a pastry cutter (or use your fingers) until it resembles a course meal. Mix milk with sweet potato puree and add it to the other ingredients. Mix dough, just to incorporate (I use my hands). If the dough is really sticky, add a touch more flour. Turn dough out onto floured surface and knead a few times. Pat out to a 1/2 inch thickness. Cut biscuits with a biscuit-cutter or glass. We make ours small, about 2 inches in diameter. Place on parchment-lined cookie sheet and refrigerate for 10 minutes. Place in preheated oven and cook until risen and slightly brown, about 12 minutes (longer for larger biscuits). Serve warm.
Do not bake the biscuits is using on Chicken Casserole.
