Rainy Day Fooling Around

This has not been a lovely summer day. No. This has been a day of mizzle and drizzle and featured the debut of a little baby stormlet, trying to impress Weather and hoping for a contract with the winter show. Baby pranced and performed, whooshing gusty wind rushes and tossing tree branches about. Didn't quite manage the patter of rain on the window pane but succeeded in getting the streets and highway wet enough to cause a satisfactory swish-swish from the cars going by. Don't know if Weather picked up Baby's option or not. Second string would be nice. Baby could learn from there.

In any case, it was a good time to continue with the project I started last night, when I decided to dehydrate a couple of my Granny Smith apples. The first apple went in yesterday evening and the slices were ready 4 hours later. Schweet.

That would be the pile of apple rings in the foreground of the above photo. The ones with the round holes in them. First I hauled out my trusty v-slicer mandoline and zipped the apple through on the thinnest slice setting. Then I got my melon baller out and used it to cut away the core portions of the slices. Worked ever so neatly, as you can see. The holes were not that big before the slices went in the dryer but the apple shrinks as it dries so the holes enlarge.

That was before I went to a web site where a fellow by the name of Steve Gallagher did a terrific photo tutorial on drying apple rings. Steve said you don't have to core those puppies. Well, if Steve said so . . . What's more, he had rather more adventurous ideas about soaking the apple rings, far more interesting than simply dipping them in water treated with fruit fresh. Hah! I'm all over this, Steve!

So the Granny Smith I did today was soaked for 10 minutes in a mixture of cranberry juice and sweet Port wine, hence the faintly red tinge to the slices. I love the little cutouts formed by the seeds. Makes the slices look a bit like ruffly sand dollars.

All the slices, from yesterday's batch and today's, are still soft and pliable, rather like good suede. I don't want them dry crisp, just almost dry and chewy. And tasty. Oh yes, they be tasty!They pass with flying colors. Very toothsome, both batches. I will put them in plastic freezer bags when they've finished that final little bit of air drying. They would last a long time in either the refrigerator or the freezer but they won't have that chance. They make lovely snacking food here at the computer, you see.

Now I have to leave you becuth it ith not polite to talk wif my mouf full becuth it ith harder for you to undershand whudI'mshaying, you shee.

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Remember my mention of the split comment sections for the froyo post? And remember Bonnie and I only saw one of those sections the following day? Just on a hunch, I checked back a further page. Aha! The second section was there, right above the post for Shish Kabobbery. I was concerned because Diana asked a question and I wasn't sure if she'd been able to read the answer before it did its disappearing act. So, Diana! Here's what I found out for you:

Diana, what interesting questions those turned out to be! I just did a Google-gig to make sure I didn't lead you astray. (smile) Okay, Kraft Foods is the "culprit" for both items. Dream Whip and Cool Whip are both whipped cream substitutes, with Dream Whip being the powdered form to which you add milk and whip, whereas Cool Whip is already whipped. In the UK, Dream Topping seems to be Dream Whip's equivalent.

As for Miracle Whip, in any given group of people, you can almost guarantee a food fight by bringing it up. (grin) In the UK, I think Heinz Salad Cream is the equivalent. Do you have more than one brand of salad cream? Miracle Whip is like mayo with a tang -- it's like it's got more vinegar and sweet pickle spices in it.