When doing a search for images to help me decide how best to depict an alligator, (I was thinking teeth!), I realised that I had always thought alligators were identified by their long thin snout and crocodiles by their broader heavier snouts...in fact, it is quite the other way around! One lives and learns...
I remembered an old SU stamp set called "See Ya Later" containing an alligator image that I had recently given to my son to add to the second hand items in his new online store...we retrieved it from his storage area so I could check the image I only vaguely remembered and YES! the little alligator, with only it's top teeth showing (another species indicator), was just under an inch in length, so that is what I used for this weeks entry.
My daughter Sarah told me on Sunday that she had taken photographs of alligators in the USA while there, so I could have used her images also, had she sent me one...but I will stick with the one I have for now.
Sarah and Karina had recently obtained some lovely lemons from a friend with a large and productive tree...I had used a few for other things but wanted to take advantage of the lovely gift by preserving a few...I like to always have a jar in the fridge despite Matthew Evans caustic comments about people who make these apparently simply to irritate real cooks...in my view, couscous, lamb tagines, and many other dishes are just not the same without the intensely salty lemon zing of added finely chopped preserved lemon rind.
I simply wouldn't be without it in the kitchen. It keeps for a long time just improving with age and whatever the clever Matthew says in his disparaging way, his boiled salted lemon is just not the same at all, nor as convenient. I did try it, I am not one to criticize without reason, but to each his own and I really do love making preserves and condiments.
I was tidying out the pantry a little on Saturday and made some jam biscuits in order to use up a small amount of apricot jam left in a jar. This recipe came from a book written by Lillian Beckwith, an author whose writing still gives me great pleasure...I went on to also make peanut biscuits...the boys often open a new jar of peanut butter rather than winkle out the remains from the bottom of the jar in use...both these recipes are very simple and quick to make and the biscuit jars are filled once again. Plus the pantry looks a bit tidier!
I also made a batch of sweet potato and coconut flour dog treats for any visiting canines...my friend Ann, who lives and cares for Bede, the rescue Westie she wrote a book about recently and illustrated with her amazing art work and photographs, gave me the recipe last week and I wanted to have a batch in the fridge. Bede loves these healthy treats and it will be interesting to see how our other doggy friends take to them.
It was a fun and enjoyable afternoon, it is a fairly rare event to have such a chatfest in our family...we think we should do it more often, but life usually intervenes...
Bye now,
Di