Breakfast, part the first:
Plain keffir, mixed with the best juice I could find here...
The last juice I had was either apricot or mango, no added sugar, quite delicious. I haven't been able to find it here.
Last night I received an invitation to a pot luck and music jam session on Monday afternoon. I thought hard about what to bring -- salads are obvious and easy, but maybe I should bring a dessert? I've discovered that my landlords have sweet tooths -- he especially -- and that she hasn't been up for much baking or cooking lately. If I bake something sweet I can save some for them. Besides, I scored a bunch of lemons a couple of weekends ago at the music festival. I really ought to do something with them. Back in the Good Old Days, by now we'd have had coolers full of citrus from my original home, and I'd have been making gelatins and soups and fruits salads and heaven knows what else...as well as simply drinking their juice or eating them out of hand. Now, I don't have that ready access and that may be the reason I've been hoarding them. It could also have been apathy on my part. At any rate, I opened the bag and discovered...
...already, the dreaded citrus mold has set in. How could I not have smelled it? Age? Apathy? Doing my best to ignore my surroundings? I dunno. But I didn't smell it until I opened the bag. Fortunately it was just the one lemon. Here's what's left, having been thoroughly washed, rinsed, and allowed to dry.
Plenty for what I intend: lemon bars. I have two three candidates, both all from the New York Times. I've loaded up the unlocked articles. Which do you think looks better?
Lemon Bars with Pecan Crust, by Lisa Donovan
Lemon Bars with Olive Oil and Sea Salt, by Melissa Clark
Lemon Bars, by Genevieve Ko
I'm leaning toward the Pecan Crust version but haven't decided yet. Comments, please!
I said I've been doing my best to ignore my surroundings. It's been hot here -- too darned hot for my comfort -- but today it's started to cool off to something civilized, and that makes it easier for me to appreciate the possibilities of the area. At the moment it's 67F and it's only supposed to go up to 81F today. Maybe I can keep the windows open and air conditioner off.
The nearby undeveloped area of desert sand and dunes is always good for exploring on foot. Today I was treated to this display of what loose brush and wind can do to fine sand:
