#MEwx Colder, clouds/sun and a delicious meal with candy cane cookies for dessert

Good morning Augusta

This morning we have mostly sunny skies with highs in the upper 20s. Northwest winds 10 to 15 mph gusting to 25 mph.

Tonight we’ll have clear skies with Lows around 13°F. Northwest winds around 10 mph this evening, becoming light and variable.

Wednesday

The readings from my weather instruments are:

The Wind Chill is 22.1°F, Dew Point is 13.8°F, the humidity is 52%, and the outdoor temp is 29.9°F.

The wind direction is North Northeast between 6.9 MPH and 9.8 MPH.

The Relative pressure is 29.69, the Absolute pressure is 29.49 and rising with a weather graphic indicating sun.

Visibility is 10.0 miles / 16.1 Kilometers with overcast skies to 3,800 ft / 1,158 m.

The UV rating is 0 out of 16, Sunrise is 6:58 A.M., Sunset is 4:00 P.M., Moonrise is 3:48 A.M., Moonset is 2:49 p.M. and the moon phase is Waning crescent being 8% illuminated.

Augusta’s RAW METAR readings are:

METAR KAUG 041153Z AUTO 32008KT 10SM OVC038 M02/M08 A2973 RMK AO2 SLP072 T10221083 11006 21022 53022 TSNO  | 

We received 0.01 inches of rain here over the past 24 hours.

This is another “teachable” type of basic recipe for a quick and hardy soup, perfect for this cold and crumby weather we’re having. Yes, there’s a dessert recipe below.

CHICKEN BROCCOLI TORTELLINI SOUP

4 servings

Prep: 10 min.  Cook:  11 min.

1 tbsp olive or vegetable oil

1 small onion, chopped (¼ cup)

½ cup water

1 can (14 ½ oz) chicken broth

½ tsp Italian seasoning

1 package (10 oz) frozen cut broccoli in cheese-flavored sauce

1 package (9 oz) refrigerated cheese-filled tortellini

1 cup cubed cooked chicken

1 large roma (plum) tomato, chopped (½ cup)

¼ cup shredded Parmesan cheese

Heat oil in 2-quart saucepan over medium-high heat.  Cook onion in oil about 2 minutes, stirring frequently, until crispy-tender.  Stir in broth, water, Italian seasoning, broccoli in cheese sauce and tortellini.  Heat to boiling, stirring occasionally and breaking up broccoli.  Stir in chicken.  Cook about 4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tortellini is tender.  Stir in tomato.  Top each serving with 1 tbsp cheese.  Serve with warmed purchased focaccia bread and fresh pears or clusters of grapes.

 

Dessert:

(Hey, it’s the holidays, ya know?)

CANDY CANE BAR COOKIES

Preheat oven to 350F, rack in the middle position.

1 cup butter  (I use butter, margarine, Smart Balance, whatever I have; anyone who can tell the difference in this cookie doesn’t belong in my kitchen!)

1 cup white granulated sugar

1 egg, lightly beaten

¼ tsp peppermint extract

½ tsp salt

2/3 cup finely crushed miniature candy canes (measure after crushing)

6 drops red food coloring

2 cups flour (not sifted – pack it down when you measure it)

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

2 cups semisweet chocolate chips (Hold these out for later use as noted below)

(Note: I’m a big fan of dark chocolate, so I use Ghiradelli 60% cacao double chocolate chips)

Melt the butter in a microware-safe bowl for 1 minute 30 seconds on HIGH.  Set it on the counter to cool.

Place the sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer, add the egg, and beat it until it’s a uniform color (you can do this by hand, but why would you?).

Add the peppermint extract, salt, and finely crushed candy canes.  Mix it all up.

Add the 6 drops of red food coloring.  Mix it in thoroughly.

Feel the bowl with the butter.  If you can cup your hands around it comfortably, you can add it to your mixing bowl now.  Mix it in slowly at low speed or it will slosh.  If it’s still too warm to add, wait until it’s cooler and then do it.

Add the flour in half-cup increments, beating after each addition. 

Take the bowl from the mixer and stir in one cup chocolate chips by hand.

Spread the batter evenly into a greased 9-inch by 13-inch pan.  Bake it at 350F for 25 minutes or until it feels firm on the top.

Remove the pan from the oven and sprinkle it with the remaining two cups of chocolate chips.  Immediately cover the pan with a piece of heavy-duty foil (or whatever I have) or a cookie sheet.  Let it sit for three minutes.  Then take off the cookie sheet or foil, and spread out the melted chips like frosting with a rubber spatula or frosting knife.  (Note: because I use chips that are larger than the usual semisweet chip, I let it sit a little longer to melt.)

Cool completely and then cut into brownie-sized pieces.