Warm, fog, more melting and another cookie recipe

Good Morning Augusta

This morning we have fog with a mix of clouds and sun during the morning.  This will  will give way to cloudy skies this afternoon. High 48ºF. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph.

Tonight we’ll have cloudiness with a slight chance of a shower throughout the evening. Low will be 37ºF. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph.

The readings from my weather instruments are:

Humidity is 95%, the dew point is 26ºF, outside it’s 2.2ºC and 37.3ºF.

The wind direction is South Southeast between 0.4 MPH and 1.3 MPH, generating a wind chill of 37.3ºF.

The Barometric pressure is 29.91 / HPA 1012.8 and falling with a weather graphic indicating rain.

The UV rating is 0 out of 16, Sunrise is at 6:25 a.m. Sunset is 5:19 P.M. Moon rise is at 4:27 a.m., Moon set is 2:23 p.m. and the moon phase is waning crescent.   

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

Raw METAR SPECI KAUG 231211Z AUTO 15005KT 1/4SM FZFG BKN002 OVC070 M02/M03 A2985 RMK AO2 T10171028 

Visibility is 0.2 miles / 0.4 Kilometers with mostly cloudy skies to 200 ft / 60 m and overcast 7,000 ft / 2,133 m.

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

Space Weather for this morning is:

Today’s Solar flux is 82, the solar wind speed is 487  Kilometers per second and the chance of a solar storm is 1%.

Let’s try another cookie recipe – these are great too.

CHOCOLATE-DIPPED “S” COOKIES

Serves:  36 cookies

1 cup butter or margarine (1 cup reduced calorie butter)

¼ to ½ cup sugar (¼ to ½ cup Splenda)

½ tsp. salt

1 tsp. almond extract or 2 tsp. vanilla extract

2 cups sifted flour

2 cups finely chopped or ground walnuts or other nuts—small Cuisinart is good for this

To dip: 

2 cups semisweet chocolate pieces

¼ cup milk

Optional dippings mounds

Chocolate or colored sprinkles

Shredded coconut

Red and green sugars

·         Mix 1 cup butter with ¼ cup to ½ cup sugar.

·         Add ½ tsp. salt, 2 tsp. vanilla, 2 cups flour and 2 cups finely chopped walnuts.  Mix well.

·         Chill dough until easy to handle.  Heat oven to 350.

·         With fingers shape dough into “S” shapes or balls.  Place on ungreased cookie sheet.

·         Bake for 12 to 15 minutes until light brown.  Cool on wire rack.

·         For dipping:  melt 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate pieces over hot water.  Add ¼ cup of milk.  Beat smooth.

·         Prepare little mounds of “dippings”---chocolate or colored sprinkles, shredded coconut, red and green sugars, etc.

·         Dip ends or sides of cookies in chocolate and then in mounds you have prepared.

·         Place on wax paper to dry.

Exchanges:  1 carbohydrate, ½ lean meat, 2½ fat

Calories:  185; fat:  14 g; protein:  4 g; carbohydrates:  13 g; fiber:  1 g; cholesterol:  21 mg; sodium:  123 mg