Snow, cold and a new recipe

Good morning Augusta

The sky at sunrise was firey red.  It’s coming folks, hope you pulled the snow shovels out.

This morning we’ll have periods of snow and a high around 30ºF. Winds light and variable. Chance of snow 90%. 1 to 3 inches of snow is to be expected.

Tonight we’ll have a few flurries possible, cloudy early in the evening, becoming mostly clear after midnight. Low around 25ºF. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph.

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

Humidity is 89%, the dew point is 17ºF, outside it’s -5.8ºC and 22.0ºF.

The wind direction is North between 0.7 MPH and  1.3 MPH, generating a wind chill of 20.8ºF.

The Barometric pressure is 30.14 / HPA 1020.9 and falling with a weather graphic indicating snow.

The UV rating is 0.0 out of 16, Sunrise is at 6:59 a.m. Sunset is 4:00 P.M. Moon rise is at 11:12 a.m., Moon set is 9:57 p.m. and the moon phase is waxing crescent.  

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

METAR KAUG 051153Z AUTO 00000KT 10SM CLR M07/M08 A3011 RMK AO2 SLP201 T10671083 11056 21078 58004

Visibility is 10.0 miles / 16.1 Kilometers with that red sky at sunrise.  It’s coming folks.

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

Today I’ve shifted away from salads.  I heard ya folks.  The dish below is one I normally reserve for Super Bowl Sunday, but it works equaly well to celebrate surviving Xmas shopping.

Sausage ‘n Croute

Serves 8

1         tablespoon  olive oil

1              pound  sauerkraut -- rinsed and drained

2                     onions -- thinly sliced

1           teaspoon  caraway seeds

1              pound  turkey kielbasa -- low fat

10            ounces  refrigerated pizza crust dough

1/4           cup  honey mustard

In a  large nonstick skillet heat the oil.  Add the sauerkraut, onions,

caraway seeds and a 1/2 cup of water; cook, covered, until the liquid

evaporates and the sauerkraut and onions are very tender, about 15 minutes.

Remove from the heat and cool completely.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Cut the kielbasa into 2 (8-inch) lengths,

then cut the pizza dough in half. On a lightly floured surface, roll out each

half of dough into a rectangle about 2 inches longer than the kielbasa and

wide enough to wrap around it. Spoon 1/2 of the sauerkraut mixture down the

center of each piece of dough, then place a kielbasa half on the sauerkraut.

Fold up the dough to enclose the kielbasa completely, pinching the edges to

seal. Transfer to an ungreased baking sheet. Bake until golden, 15 to 20 minutes.

Cut into slices; serve warm or at room temperature, with honey

mustard on the side.

Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 208 Calories; 7g Fat (29.1% calories

from fat); 14g Protein; 23g Carbohydrate; 2g Dietary Fiber; 56mg

Cholesterol; 1221mg Sodium.  Exchanges: 1 Grain(Starch); 1 1/2 Lean Meat; 1

Vegetable; 1/2 Fat.

And Dessert is:

HOLIDAY CRANBERRY BREAD

Serves 8 thick or 16 thin slices

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour (unbleached)

1 tsp baking powder

½ tsp baking soda

½ cup Splenda

1 (4 serving) package JELLO sugar-free vanilla pudding mix

1 cup coarsely chopped fresh or frozen cranberries

¼ cup chopped walnuts

½ cup unsweetened orange juice

1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce

1 egg or equivalent in egg substitute

1 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray a 9-by-5 inch loaf pan with buttered flavored cooking spray.   In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, Splenda, and dry pudding mix. Stir in cranberries and walnuts.  In a small bowl, combine orange juice, applesauce, egg, and vanilla extract.  Add orange juice mixture to flour mixture.  Mix well to combine.   Pour batter into prepared loaf pan.  Bake for 50 to 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.  Place loaf pan on a wire rack and cool for 10 minutes.  Remove from pan and continue to cool completely on wire rack and cool for 10 minutes.  Remove from pan and continue to cool completely on wire rack.   Cut into 8 thick or 16 thin slices.

Exchanges:  1 ½ starch/Carbohydrate   -   ½ fruit   147 calories   -  3 gm fat      4 gm protein   -   26 gm carbohydrate   -   393 mg sodium   -   46 mg calcium   - 1 gm fiber