I mean, "April showers bring May flowers," and all, but this is just ridiculous.
I want to get some tomatoes planted, but I can't bear to do it while it's so cold and wet outside. Don't wanna put my hands in the icy mud.
When Cranky and I go out these days, we have to leave our little doggie at home, because it's still too miserable to smuggle Bean Sprout onto a patio with us (even though he would probably be warm enough in his jaunty purple fake down vest inside his tote bag-disguised as fancy lady purse).
Wahh!! I'm feeling mildewy. I need to thaw out in the sun.
Oh, well. Yesterday I baked (Cookiecrumb baked??? — yeah, but I cheated). We picked up a blob of fresh pizza dough at the new Trader Joe's in Novato to give it a test run. (The dough and the store.) The store is really spacious and the parking lot wasn't crowded. Quite a difference from my usual TJ experiences.
The dough? Meh. OK, fine, not bad. It hadn't seemed to have acquired any of the desirable flavors that I think should develop with a few days under refrigeration. I would call it "slight of character." On the other hand, it hadn't rotted either. Maybe they use a preservative; I'll have to go dig the bag out of the trash and read the label.
Here's what we were up to: On nice days in the past, if memory serves, Cranky and I used to take Bean Sprout with us to a middle-of-the-road Italian restaurant, where we would park ourselves on the patio and have a "meal" of wine and breadsticks.
Since it's impossible to do that these days, I decided to make my own breadsticks from the TJ dough. We sprinkled the tops with poppy seeds, sesame seeds, and grated Parmesan. Two of the sticks got all three toppings, and they were deemed Best.
Minor mood improvement occurred.
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15 comments:
CC,
Major thunder-boomers here last night. Great sleeping weather.
If you don't want to put your hands in that cold earth, think how those sensitive little seeds and roots would feel. Wait for the dirt to warm. It will, it will.
Glub.
Here, here. I'm right there with you. Only, we really ARE mildewy - (well, moldy) it grew on the carpet by the door where the rain came in, and on the back of the dressers, and the back of the closet before we caught it, the bastard...must have come in to keep the mushrooms growing out of the carpet company. ACK! NO MORE RAIN!
I am impressed you baked, my dear cookiecrumb - this is a great, easy idea! I might steal it.
MMmMMmm, pizza. I wish our TJ's was spacious and had parking. I don't know what their trip is. Let's put together a grocery store chain, but only lease the smallest building we can find and we demand that there be only 6 parking spaces. What kind of business plan is this?
Meathenge is broken. Badly broken, really badly broken. And, it's not doing well. Horrible internal database problems. Been at it for 3 days now, no light at the end of the tunnel. Comments are gone and I cannot post. Crack a cold refreshing beverage for MH, it's sorely needing it.
Kevin: Is this Intelligent Design weather? Creationist weather? My vote's with good old-fashioned science-based global warming. :(
Kudzu: Why, of course. You're absolutely right. I don't want to be out there on the patio, and neither would my little baby plants. :)
Michelle: Wow, actual mold? We got that in Florida. I wonder if it's a problem in Hawaii. (Steal the breadstix idea.) Wait. Actual mushrooms in carpet? Mine were just on the patio!
Biggles: Oh! So that's what's up with Meathenge. Pooh. Good luck. (You should make a field trip to the Novato TJ's; just luxuriate in the openness.)
I was just reading how Joe in Phoenix is eating out on the patio now that it's getting hot there. Your rain is now our rain--not cold enough to snow. I'm glad. DH was sick of shoveling. I'll be able to get down the mountain now. Maybe a trip to TJ's is in order. I want some of their dates, some of the chocolate macaroons, and hmmm, maybe some pizza dough? I've seen it but never tried it.
What a relief, huh, Cyndi? Jeepers. Sorry about sending all the wet down your way. (But I never told you to live on a mountain, did I?)
What? A spacious TJ? The one in El Cerrito is ok but I really hate shopping at the one in Emeryville.
I don't know if I've ever been to a spacious TJ. I guess the closest I've come is the one in Campbell. I can't remember the San Rafael one, but the Sunnyvale, Santa Rosa and Petaluma ones are miniscule. Try getting two carts past each other in the same aisle! I s'pose that's how they help keep prices down, though.
I've been craving pizza, but I have not had the oomph to do anything about it - we're to "inaccessible" to have delivery at about three miles outside of town and 50' above sea level. We pay more on our monthly phone bill because they've got us listed as in a "remote" area. Yeah, right.
See how I made this all about me? ;+) Those bread sticks look delish, cookie. Is your soil as clay-ey as ours is? If only I had the strength and the patience, I could build myself an adobe fortress.
Yeah, it's so spacious (and spanking new; built this year) that we think it's worth the drive. Of course, when word gets out, it'll be all crowded. :(
Loose lips sink ships...hush up about the new TJ's.I kinda like the place all to myself. ;) Breadsticks with the dough. I think I'm gonna borrow that one.
Greg! Yikes, you think I oughtta pull down this entire post?
Stay away, bridge-and-tunnel people!
:D
Hallo...I'm over in Berkeley and so sick of the rain too. Our mushrooms our growing out of a crack in the windowsill! LOL
We do love the TJ's plain pizza dough (the herb flavored one always tastes off to me). It's best if you use it within two days of purchasing, and let is sit at room temp for one to two hours beforehand.
Pop it in a 500% oven to prebake (no toppings) for five minutes and you're good to go. I sometimes sprinkle on a bit of fresh garlic and grated parmesan, which gets baked into the crust.
There's a lot more to my TJ's pizza method, including rolling out the dough by hand. One of these days I'll get around to posting a recipe with instructions!
amen to that. it's snowing. my feet are soggy through my merrells. and my socks go squish. not what i had hoped for this fine spring day. blech.
Hi Kung Foodie. Thanks for stopping by; I will return the favor in just a minute.
You're right about letting the dough come to room temperature! Like an idiot, I just pulled it out of the fridge and expected miracles. (I had to wait.)
Vanessa: Oh. Snow? Poor you.
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