I turned in the corrections for the page proofs of KILLER HOOKS. It was my last chance to make changes and now the book is truly done. There's always a little sadness and letting go and the feeling that it would have been better if I rewrote something. I just hope it's a fun read.
It made it easier to close the door on KILLER HOOKS because I am already working on the next Yarn Retreat mystery.
I tried the sandwiches I talked about last week. The tomato sandwich was definitely a winner and up for repeat. I made the strawberry sandwich with cream cheese and it was okay. The article I read talked about using whipped cream, though I don't know how you could cut it without making the whipped cream get pushed into the bread.
I am still discovering new ideas for cooking online. Today I found some new ideas to try with the air fryer.
Like Molly and for that matter all my characters, I drink a lot of coffee. And since the price of coffee at restaurants and coffee places has gotten crazy, I mostly drink it at home. I have assorted ways of making it from a pour over thing for a cup at a time, to a pot that makes a pot. Somehow I got interested in the Nespresso coffee makers. I had a Keurig a long time ago and it broke after two years. All the reviews say that Keurig pots have a limited life span, so I never replaced it.
The Nespresso pot seemed to be different in that it worked like an espresso machine and the coffee had a layer of foam. Costco had a Nespresso machine, but the capsules they sold wouldn't work in it. It was getting to time consuming to think about and too confusing. There are two lines of Nespresso machines and now some other companies make them. I figured life was too short and dropped it.
Until....
I happened to go down the single cup coffee aisle at Costco and saw that the Nespresso machine was no longer offered, but there was a Sur La Table machine that used the capsules and actually the ones that Costco sold. Even better, there were only two of the machine left and they were on a serious close out price. How could I refuse? So, I bought the machine and the a big thing of the capsules.
The instructions came in a lot of languages, but were minimal. I set it up and made the first small cup of espresso. The machine worked fine. And then I tried to make another cup and it didn't work as it. No lights came on. No coffee coming out. There would be no problem taking the machine back to Costco, but I wasn't so sure about the box of capsules since I had used one for the cup that worked and one for the cup that didn't work. BTW, the short instructions had nothing about Troubleshooting.
So, I decided to see what I could do. I finally did find a way to get it to work. In case there is anyone out there who bought the other machine and is having the same problem, you have to plug it in each time you use it.
Now that it's working, I am pretty pleased with it. The coffee is great and offers an instant pick me up. With this hot weather, I really need it in the afternoon. Sometimes you just have to think outside the box, or in this case instructions.
8 comments:
Good morning -- Glad to hear the new Molly book is complete and will be out soon -- looking forward to her new adventures.
I'm not a coffee drinker -- hot water or nonfat milk are my beverages of choice. Your mention of the coffee machine instructions being in several languages reminded me that years ago, my husband was getting ready to put a garden bench together for our son. He looked at the instruction sheet, threw it to Danny and said "Here, son, read these for me." It was all in Japanese -- not one English word!! Thank goodness, it was pretty self-explanatory so he had no problems.
It's been incredibly hot here -- moderating a bit but not much. It finally rained a couple nights ago -- torrential with high winds. I heard it was the first measurable moisture in 123 days.
I really miss having a yard to work in -- I was a certified master gardener in Texas and had a big yard. Here I have a patio so have only potted plants. The carport area I share with a neighbor has a big concrete walking path -- she uses a walker and I asked if it would bother her if I put some potted plants at the edge of the path. She said no, she'd enjoy having some greenery so I have another planting area. I have three pots planted and four more waiting for plants -- probably get them this weekend.
Enjoy your day and working on your new book. My son and grandkids are bringing lunch so I'm looking forward to that.
The Pioneer Woman just posted a recipe on IG to make a grilled cheese sandwich in the air fryer. It looked interesting so I'm going to give it a try. In this hot weather I try not to turn on the oven or range for any length of time.
I'm introducing a few white pumpkins into my living room to help me focus on fall coming. Amazingly, it helps.
Happy weekend!
Patty, I thought of you when the weather people kept talking about all the days with 110 temperatures in Phoenix. I am sure your pots of plants make a nice touch. The rain sounds welcome, but a little scary. It is always nice to spend time with family. Enjoy your lunch.
Sally, I made a grilled cheese in the air fryer and it was very good. But the real winner right now around here is corn on the cob in the air fryer. I spray the corn with olive oil and season,set the temperature to 375 and cook for 15 minutes.
Nice idea to decorate for fall to think of cooler days. The weather people here dwell on the heat so much that it makes it worse. But then the news in general always uses language to make everything seem the worst possible.
Have a nice weekend!
Congrats on finding a coffee maker you like, Betty. I'm a coffee fan too and drink a lot. Mostly I make it at home, but I also have a subscription at Panera which I use quite a bit.
Linda,good idea about Panera. I'll check it out.
I'm looking forward to the new Molly book. It will be great just like the others.
I am not a coffee drinker but I love tea. I drink hot and iced teas. One of my favorite things to do is to walk to the Farner's Market. It is about two miles from my house. I get hot tea and a snack and sit outside and read for a good hour. I do that all year round. It is so much fun.
The air fryer corn on the cob sounds interesting. I don't have an air fryer yet. My friend has one but it is so big. I'd like to find a smaller one that doesn't take up so much space.
Chkntza, Our first apartment was near where you must live. I didn't have a driver's license yet and had to walk everywhere. I love Farmer's Market and can see where it would be a nice place to sit and read. I also love tea. It was only when I got a job at a coffee house in Chicago when I was in college that I realized there was more than Lipton tea.
The air fryers do take up a lot of counter space. They are nice, but not really a necessity. I make corn in the regular oven when I'm also roast little yukon gold potatoes. It takes a little longer, but really good. I had never thought of cooking corn other than boiling or microwaving, but family agrees roasting it is better. I love that even now I am learning new cooking things. I just read an article that mentioned putting ripe avocados in the refrigerator. It never occurred to me before, but it's a wonder. No more rotten avocados!
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