Flapjacks and Flowers

Hello there!  Are you having a good week?  I'm happy as today is a nice, unplanned, quiet day.  I needed one of these.  :-)  My lead photo (which shows up in blog lists so I like to put a pretty one first) is of a hardy Hibiscus we got last year.  It FINALLY bloomed after growing all summer.  Isn't it beautiful?

The buds are all ribbed, they're cool.  

Switching gears, I wanted to share with you the sourdough pancakes (or flapjacks which is an old name used by pioneers and gold miners) I made for the boys and us on Sunday.  This summer my brother gave me a recipe he'd perfected over time and I love how it turns out!  You start out with flour and warm water, make a batter and then fold in the sourdough starter.  This is after it's "worked" overnight and is foamy with the sourdough yeast.

I thought it would be fun to take a photo of my brother Robert's (Rob) hand written recipe.  You can print this up if you want to try them.  You can get the sourdough from a friend or google how to make it yourself.  I began one years ago with flour, water and yeast - you let it grow for several days then feed it with more flour/water batter.  It's kind of like a "pet".  :-)  One thing on his recipe, beat the warm water and flour first, then fold in the sourdough starter.

When you're ready to make the pancakes, beat together the egg, buttermilk, soda, salt and sugar - then stir it into the batter you made the night before.  (MAKE SURE you remove 2 cups of the sourdough before you add the 2nd ingredients or you won't have any starter to carry on with.)

Then ladle the batter on a medium hot griddle and cook away!

They may be a bit odd shaped, but look at those golden beauties!

Nom nom.. oh WAIT.. forgot to take a photo.. *SNAP*.. nom nom nom.

My son and DIL brought me this gorgeous shell wreath from their anniversary trip to the beach, isn't it gorgeous?  I think it's neat that it's bits and pieces of shells and pebbles found on the beach.  Right up my alley!  

How about the name of her business.. "Peace *Love* Wreaths".  Very cool.

I love the green moss in the wreath.

Dayle surprised me with a HUGE potted Chrysanthemum the other day, it was all in buds and now they're popping open and I love the Autumn hue of the flowers, rusty orange and lighter orange.  Now I need some pumpkins by it!

The potted plants on the deck are trying to hang in there.. but it's been one heck of a long, dry, hot summer and my poor flowers are a bit crispy.  Here is the one bloom left on this Lantana. 

I love the sun shining through the leaves of this rose pink Tuberous Begonia.

Poor hydrangeas are pretty dried up, but when I look at them I see a wreath, do you?  :-)

I found a photo on my iPhone of my grandsons while we were at the dam.. I found a pleasant little courtyard with two benches in the shade with the river and the blue cliffs beyond.  The colors remind me of a Maxwell Parrish painting!

This last photo.. we're having a bad fire in Estacada, Oregon - 3600 acres or 5.5 miles in diameter - and this plane flew low over our house over and over to scoop up water from the river and fly over the fire and drop the water on the fire.  Dayle snapped this photo so you can see how low it was flying over the farm.. see the apples on the tree?  This plane has a loud roar!!  I hope they get this fire out fast.

Well, time to have lunch, Dayle is making us Potstickers and Yakisoba noodles with veggies.  Before you get all impressed, they are frozen, but still, he prepares them very good!  :-)  Talk soon.. ((hugs)), Teresa :-)