#MEwx Clouds, rain moving in this afternoon and Chocolate Dessert Salami

Good morning Augusta

The Red Sox beat the Toronto Blue Jays last night 7-5 in 10 innings. We are now 42 and 35. 

A direct, real-time feed from my personal weather station is available for you here.

This morning it’s partly sunny with isolated showers this morning, turning mostly cloudy with a chance of showers and thunderstorms this afternoon. Some thunderstorms may produce

gusty winds and hail this afternoon. Highs in the mid 70s. Northwest winds 10 to 15 mph gusting to 30 mph.

Tonight we’ll have mostly clear skies with lows in the mid 50s. Northwest winds around 10 mph gusting to 30 mph in this evening.

 

The readings from my weather instruments are:

Our outdoor temperature is 65.5°F, the humidity is 69% and the Dew Point is 55.0°F.

The wind direction is North Northeast between 2.5 MPH and 4.9 MPH.

The Relative pressure is 29.63, the Absolute pressure is 29.43 and rising with a weather graphic indicating sun.

Visibility is 10.0 Miles / 16.1 Kilometers with

The UV rating is 0 out of 16, Sunrise is 4:55 AM, Sunset is 8:26 PM, Moonrise is x:xx PM,  Moonset is 9:49 AM  and the moon phase is waning Gibbous. 

The RAW METAR readings at the airport in Augusta are:

Augusta’s Airport hasn’t reported any METAR readings this week. If they have ceased reporting them I will discontinue this line in my daily posting. 

We received 0.02 inches of rain here over the past 24 hours.

“Got kids?”  Make this and you’ll be the grown-up of the week.

CHOCOLATE DESSERT SALAMI

Giada De Laurentiis

Ingredients

1/2 cup slivered almonds (2 1/2 ounces)

1/2 cup chopped walnuts (2 1/2 ounces)

Two 5 inch long plain biscotti, coarsely crushed

6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 1/2inch pieces, at room temperature

One 12 ounce bag semisweet chocolate chips, such as Ghirardelli

1/4 cup brewed coffee

·         1 teaspoon grated orange zest (about 1/2 medium orange)

·         1/2 cup confectioners' sugar

Directions

Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Spread the almonds, walnuts and crushed biscotti in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake until the nuts are lightly toasted, 6 to 8 minutes. Cool completely.

Put the butter and chocolate in a heatproof medium bowl and place the bowl over a pan of barely simmering water. Stir until the chocolate has melted and the mixture is smooth, about 6 minutes. Stir in the coffee until smooth. Add the almonds, walnuts, biscotti pieces and orange zest, and stir until combined. Cover the bowl and refrigerate until firm but moldable, 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

Divide the chocolate mixture in half. Place half of the mixture in the center of an 18 inch long piece of plastic wrap. Using a spatula, form the mixture into a log, about 7 inches long and 2 inches in diameter. Roll up the log in the plastic and twist the ends to seal. Roll back and forth on a work surface a few times to make the log evenly round. Repeat with the remaining chocolate mixture. Refrigerate the logs until firm, about 1 hour.

Spread the confectioners' sugar on a dinner plate. Remove the plastic wrap from the logs, then roll them in the sugar until coated. Using a pastry brush, brush away the excess sugar. Let the logs sit at room temperature for 15 minutes. Using a sharp serrated knife, cut the logs into ½ inch thick slices and serve.

Cook's Note: The dessert can be frozen for up to 1 month. Thaw at room temperature for 25 minutes before slicing.

Recipe courtesy of Giada De Laurentiis