Posted on 01/01/2026 5:52:41 AM PST by Diana in Wisconsin
The MONTHLY Gardening Thread is a gathering of folks that love soil, seeds and plants of all kinds. From complete newbies that are looking to start that first potted plant, to gardeners with some acreage, to Master Gardener level and beyond, we would love to hear from you.
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I don’t think that recipe could come any closer to inducing a Diabetic Coma...even if it tried! ;)
Coma for sure. But watta way to go........chuckle.
Wow...those ARE beautiful!
Hopefully, and definitely. I feel like I've spent half my time over the past year doing PT/chiropractic/stretching/exercise/etc. with minimal results for the effort. At least now I know why all of that stuff wasn't helping much.
I expect my spine doc will order a biopsy when I see her a couple weeks from now. Until then it's wait and wonder.
After I let Howard out for his morning potty break he crawled onto our bed and curled himself up into a coonie ball next to Mrs. Augie. She gave me a small dose of side eye but she didn't make him get down. Sucker... lol
I spotted them on this youtube, seen at the 5:25 mark. Just gorgeous, better than the picture on their website.
Sorry here is he link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pT4Vzsov06c
Speaking of “contributions, I know this is a bit OT, but we do have a couple people on here who might dabble in electrical / electronic equipment troubleshooting and maybe even repair at times, so, here goes:
Battery powered tools and other equipment can be hugely useful at times, but the battery packs & chargers are an added source of failure compared to corded equipment. I just found a “new” failure mode, though with an “aid” more than a tool (but it may occur with various tools).
In this case, I have a small (8” tall) Insignia Bluetooth speaker that I sometimes use with my wife’s smart phone or my laptop when doing outdoor repairs, auto repairs, etc. Sometimes it’s just music and sometimes I’m playing vids of repair procedures, talking to my mechanic buddy 350 miles away, and such. The battery in the speaker recently stopped taking a charge. So, I dug in there last night and discovered the positive wire to the battery was essentially just laid against the top (positive) surface of the 18650 battery, a dab of glue applied, and then a second plastic “wrap” was applied to the battery. I suspect that covering is some form of heat shrink. Apparently this “contact” was deemed (or dreamed!) sufficient (and possibly the adhesive is conductive).* The negative wire goes to a little crimp tab coming off the negative end of the battery.
The problem is that corrosion develops on that positive battery outside surface, and contact is lost. When I removed the wrap, the positive wire (and the black wire-to-battery adhesive) simply fell off.
I scraped the corrosion off, applied a drop of DeoxIT (actually to both battery ends) and put the battery in my OPUS BT-C3100 charger.** The battery voltage was quite low (~2.68 volts) but charging commenced successfully, so I just left that to continue at a low setting, checking back every hour or so to check progress and make sure the battery was staying cool.*** The battery is roughly an hour away from full charge now, I’m guessing, and a quick “discharge” test looked good, so, the next step after a full charge will be to reconnect it in a more positive fashion (solder) and see if the Bluetooth speaker will now run off of it...
*Nope. Or at least not any more. The mfgr. was apparently just relying on the wire laying against the contact to do the job.
**A GREAT little piece of gear, with diagnostic capabilities and a lot of flexibility. It or it’s descendants are highly recommended.
***There is a sensor for that in the battery compartment of the Bluetooth speaker. That gets skipped in some cheap gear, which is very dangerous, of course. The OPUS charger also has temperature sensing and charge control / limiting for each battery compartment, but I still like to check on questionable batteries until they prove to be “ok”.
ping to Pollard
Brie Bites in Puff Pastry / elegant yet effortless
Garlicky rosemary butter w/ melty brie, hot and sweet pepper jelly, flaky salt sprinkle.
Ing flour for dusting, 2 sheets frozen puff pastry, fridge-thawed overnight 8 oz Brie in bite-sized cubes ¾ c hot and sweet pepper jelly 1 tsp Maldon flaky sea salt, or fleur de sel. Garlic Herb Butter: 4 tbl unsalted butter, melted 2-3 mlnced gar/cl, 4 sprigs minced fresh rosemary, s/p.
Instructions Generously spray mini muffin tins. Lightly dust surface with flour, roll out puff pastry sheets just enough to smooth seams. Cut into 24 equal squares (12 per sheet). Mix garlic herb butter: combine melted butter, garlic, rosemary, s/p. Place each puff pastry square into muffin cups, gently pressing down. Brush insides with garlic herb butter. Add one cube of brie to each pastry cup. Spoon 1 heaping teaspoon pepper jelly over cheese. Bake 375°F 18–20 min, pastry is golden and cheese is melted. Remove from oven and immediately sprinkle with flaky sea saltl; top w.\/ chopped rosemary. Carefully liftout Brie Bites (a butter knife helps) and plate. Serve warm.
Chef tips: Thaw puff pastry properly: Always thaw overnight in the fridge for easy handling and best rise. Don’t skip the garlic herb butter: Brushing before baking infuses flavor into every flaky layer. Cut brie with a cold knife: Chill brie in the freezer for 10 minutes before cutting—less mess, cleaner cubes. Generously grease tins with oil or spray, even if they’re “nonstick.” Top right after baking: Sprinkle flaky salt, rosemary while cheese is still warm so toppings stick. Serve warm or reheat gently: taste best warm; reheat at 325°F for 5–7 min.
We’re having company (again!) for lunch tomorrow. Mom wants to make the most of the Christmas decorations while they’re still up. She invited 2 sisters from church & they accepted. I like both of them & one bestowed a ‘random act of kindness’ on me Christmas Eve so reciprocating will be nice, my only issue is I am SO tired after all the holiday company/cooking plus we’ll be on the road this coming Wednesday & Saturday ... I need some ‘down’ time.
Anyway, it is what it is - another meal for company. I had put on a crockpot of the Pasta e Fagioli soup (for myself) Friday when mom sprang the lunch idea on me. We had gotten 2 lbs. of very good pulled pork BBQ the last time we were in the closest Big Town so I saved the soup for a BBQ & soup ‘easy’ lunch. I need to make coleslaw (Walmart’s ready made is horrible) to put on the BBQ or as a side dish. I feel like I need another side dish - originally thought about a fruit salad, but then I ran across another idea: sweet potato fries, served with a choice of ketchup, BBQ sauce or ranch dressing. The last time we ate out at a BBQ joint, coleslaw & French fries were the sides so I feel good about the sweet potato fries ... something a little different, too.
Mom has a cheesecake (variety of flavors among the slices) for dessert & I have a bottle of sparkling cider left over from the holidays. I think we’ll be good for tomorrow without hours of cooking.
New Years Day, my brother & I fried up 2 quarts of oysters. I breaded (the hard, messy part) & he fried (the easy part). Two quarts is a lot of oysters & if I say so myself, they were absolutely delicious.... sigh, all gone now ... I could eat oysters morning, noon & night :-) The post holiday winter doldrums are trying to set in, but I am doing my best to resist.
You been cookin’ up a delicious storm, I see.
What is there NOT to love about a HOUND? Or Mrs. Augie? ;)
I’m kinda thinking she’s ‘indulged you’ in a many number of ‘schemes’ along the way; Howard just being the latest...
Again, I’m SO HAPPY that Howard found you both! Hand of God and all that. :)
Brie Bites - YES! I absolutely LOVE Brie cheese - warmed to room temp on a cracker with ANYTHING slightly sweet on top - jellies or jam, etc.
Best. Snack. Ever. EVER! :)
“The post holiday winter doldrums are trying to set in, but I am doing my best to resist.”
That is always the hardest, though for me the WORST is right after Daylight Savings Time kicks in in the Fall until the December 21st Equinox when the days get longer. Yay!
I’ll work hard on posting ‘January Garden-Related Chores’ to keep us all ‘upright’ through Winter, LOL! :)
I took down some Christmas Decor today and composted some finished Paperwhites and re-did the center of my Dining Room table with (battery) candles, pine cones and clippings from my Juniper shrub with a few live-edge risers Beau cut for me, all contained in a flat basket. Looks festive and winter-y post-Christmas.
All that and In puff pastry ....too.
Re: fighting winter doldrums
Today I visited Jungs Garden Center in Stoughton. Jungs had emailed me a $5 off $25 purchase coupon so I picked up a big bag of Happy Frog potting soil and 2 packs of seeds.
They were giving away various fall-planted lily bulbs so I got a bunch of those and paper-bagged them into the top shelf of my fridge...hoping they can hang on until the ground thaws.
I am rarin’ to go on starting pansy seeds but it might still be a bit too early.
Have lots of perennial seeds too.
This year I am sowing snapdragons again after skipping it for 2 years...they are so weak-stemmed when they are young seedlings. Last year I did not find nice snaps in packs, so I will grow my own again.
See...thinking of spring does make gardeners feel better.
😀
You might not believe this, but when I was a child, “Grandpa Jones” daughter, Alisa, was a sometimes playmate of mine when she came to visit a relative of hers, who was my next door neighbor. I suspect it was her grandmother on her mom’s side, but heck if I know. I was just a kid. And I never understood why she called her father “grandpa”. Kids don’t always ask enough questions when they don’t understand it. Afraid of looking stupid, even though “stupid” questions might help you sort something out. I haven’t seen Alisa since I was 8. But she was sweet and I loved her southern accent. It was even more southern than mine. She lived in the “holler.” I wonder sometimes if she remembers those visits. We played with our dolls underneath the chinaberry trees. Fond memories. 🥰
Daughter bought me a Bird Buddy feeder a few years ago. It’s the kind where you have to recharge the battery, not a solar battery.
We do enjoy it, though if I had the solar version, I wonder if it would be better. It’s really cool when it’s working!
I think one of my favorites is to see the Red-headed Woodpecker eating there. He or she is so cute! (Males and females look the same.)
I agree! I see all these amazing recipes, and my metabolism is only slowing down, so I have to have self-control on this thread. So many great cooks, bakers, chefs, etc.
I know we’re all TRYING to be health conscious, but good food and great tastes sometimes hinder our efforts.
Am I right? ;)
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