#MEwx Cold, fog and falling temps with porcupines with rice and chocolate thumbprint cookies

Good morning Augusta

We're still under a Dense Fog Advisory until 10 this morning so beware.

This morning we have mostly cloudy skies with areas of dense fog. A chance of rain showers, visibility can be ¼ mile or less at times

Highs in the lower 40s. Light and variable winds, becoming southwest around 10 mph this afternoon.

Tonight we'll have partly cloudy skies this evening, then clearing. Lows in the mid 20s. Northwest winds around 10 mph.

The readings from my weather instruments are:

The Wind Chill is 32.0°F, Dew Point is 31.5°F, the humidity is 98%, and the outdoor temp is 32.0°F.

The wind direction is West Northwest between 0.1 MPH and 0.4 MPH.

The Relative pressure is 29.38, the Absolute pressure is 29.18 and falling with a weather graphic indicating snow/clouds.

Visibility is 0.2 miles / 0.4 Kilometers with real thick fog.

The UV rating is 0 out of 16, Sunrise is 6:56 A.M., Sunset is 4:00 P.M., Moonrise is 2:40 A.M., Moonset is 2:19 p.M. and the moon phase is Waning crescent being 15% illuminated.

Augusta's RAW METAR readings are:

METAR KAUG 031153Z AUTO 00000KT 1/4SM FZFG VV002 M01/M01 A2947 RMK AO2 SLP984 70064 I1001 I6003 T10111011 10006 21011 56007  | 

We received x.xx inches of rain here over the past 24 hours.

This meal is fun to make and fills the bill for a sloppy-day meal for everyone concerned. It's also a great "training" meal for beginners – you know, teach the kids how to feed themselves?

PORCUPINES WITH RICE

Serves 8

1 lb ground lean turkey

½ cup chopped green pepper

½ cup chopped onion

¼ tsp garlic powder

1 egg beaten

2 tbsp parsley

½ tsp thyme

¼ tsp pepper

1 14 ½ oz stewed tomatoes diced

1 cup brown or wild rice

2 cups cooked noodles

Sauté onions and peppers.  Add ground turkey, all spices, egg and mix together forming into balls.  Roll into rice.  Put meat balls in baking pan which has been sprayed with cooking spray; pour can of tomatoes over mixture.  Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 45 minutes.  Serve over hot noodles.

Exchanges:  2 vegetables; 1 ½ meat; 1 ½ starch

Calories:  221; fat:  6 gm; protein:  15 gm; carbohydrate:  27 gm; sodium:  374 mg; fiber:  1 gm.

 

This old-fashioned thumbprint cookie recipe is tasty and VERY easy to modify. IF you change the filling to raspberry or strawberry for example…

CHOCOLATE-FILLED THUMBPRINT COOKIES

Cookies:

½ cup soft butter or margarine

½ tsp. salt

1 tsp. vanilla

½ cup brown sugar, packed

1 ½ cups sifted flour

2 Tblsp. milk

¼ cup chocolate chips, chopped

Sifted confectioner's sugar for rolling

 

1.         Heat oven to 375⁰.

2.         Mix  together butter, salt, vanilla, and brown sugar.

3.         Blend in flour, chocolate chips, and milk.

4.         Shape into 1" balls.

Place on ungreased cookie sheet; with thumb make a depression in each cookie.

5.         Bake 10-12 minutes.

6.         Roll in confectioner's sugar and cool.

Filling:

¾ cup chocolate chips

1 Tblsp. shortening

2 Tblsp. white corn syrup

1 Tblsp. water

1 tsp. vanilla

Preparations

Melt chocolate chips with shortening and stir; cool slightly.

Add corn syrup, water, and vanilla.

Heap in center of each cookie.