Clear and cold with a few clouds and two more recipes

Good Morning Augusta

This Morning we have sunshine and clouds with a high of 23ºF. Winds from the SW at 5 to 10 mph.

Tonight we’ll have partly cloudy skies with a low of 18ºF. Winds will be from the SW at 5 to 10 mph.

The readings from my weather instruments in the North field are:

Humidity is 83%, the dew point is -8ºF, outside it’s -2.5ºC and ºF.

The wind direction is East Southeast between 0.1 MPH and  1.0 MPH, generating a wind chill of -2.5ºF.

The Barometric pressure is 30.62 / HPA 1036.9 and falling with a weather graphic indicating clouds.

The UV rating is 0.0 out of 16, Sunrise is at 7:11 a.m. Sunset is 4:02 P.M. Moon rise is at 11:39 p.m., Moon set is 11:37 a.m. and the moon phase is Waning gibbous.  

The RAW METAR reading from the airport in Augusta, Maine is:

METAR KAUG 201153Z AUTO 00000KT 8SM CLR M20/M22 A3060 RMK AO2 SLP372 T12001222 11178 21217 58008

Visibility is 8.0 miles / 12.9 Kilometers with clear skies so far.

We didn’t receive any rain or snow over the past 24 hours.

Why not at least one Chinese recipe just to be different this morning? 

Pork and Chive Dumplings

It's traditional to splash the meat with shaoxing, the Chinese rice wine, but You may prefer to use sherry.

2 'cup's all-purpose flour

1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

3/4 'cup' lukewarm water

1 egg white

1 pound ground pork

2 tablespoons sherry

1 tablespoon grated ginger

2 teaspoons soy sauce

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

2 ounces finely chopped garlic chives

1. To begin the dough, put the flour and salt in a large bowl. Use your fingers to stir in the water and egg white, until the dough comes together as a shaggy ball. Move the dough to a flour-dusted work surface, and knead it, dusting with more flour to keep it from sticking, until it is smooth to the touch, with no cracks or pockets of flour. Cover the dough, and let it rest at room temperature for 20 to 30 minutes.

2. Knead the dough about 10 times, or until it forms a firm ball as smooth as satin. Use a dough scraper or a flour-dusted knife to cut it into 4 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a log, and cut it into 6 equal pieces (for a total of 24 small pieces). Flatten the pieces with your hands, and roll each one into a 3-to-4-inch round wrapper. As you work, cover the dough with a lightly moistened towel to keep it from drying out.

3. To prepare the filling, place the ingredients in a mixing bowl, and use your hands to combine them until they are well blended. Place a tablespoon of the filling at the center of each wrapper, and gently squeeze the edges shut. As you work, push out any air bubbles and fix any tears. When ready to eat, bring a large pot of water to boil. Boil the dumplings 6 at a time, for

6 to 8 minutes, or until they float to the surface and the wrappers turn puffy and translucent. Use a slotted spoon to transfer to a plate and serve immediately.

Yield: Makes 24 dumplings

And for Dessert:

KEY LIME PIE (Quick ‘n dirty)

1 pkg. Key lime sugar free Jell-O

¼ c boiling water

2  8 oz. Key lime low-fat, light yogurt

1 16 oz. Cool Whip

1 fat free graham cracker crust

Dissolve Jell-O in boiling water.   Add yogurt and cool whip.  Blend well.  Pour into graham cracker crust.  Let set one hour before serving.

If you prefer, the graham cracker crust can be eliminated and the filling served as pudding. 

Of course you can always but a plane ticket to Miami, rent a car and rive down to the Florida Keys and pull into the first restaurant you see advertising “Genuine Key lime Pie.”