Croutons to die for

Up until this point, we (the Lewis household) have been fairly lazy when it came to croutons. Normally I buy them bulk from Winco on my once- or twice-a-year excursions into the city to stock up on bulk items from the big box stores. Well, stocking up on bulk items is pricey, and since February's job loss, we just don't want to spend the money.

But we were out of croutons, so Don took it upon himself to make some. They're easy-peasey to make, so I don't know why it never occurred to us to do this earlier. Go figure.

Anyway, when he's ready to make a batch, Don asks me to make a loaf of French bread (which I do with the bread machine).

He lets the loaf sit for a couple of days to "harden up," then cuts it into roughly one-inch cubes.

These are his ingredients: Olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and Parmesan cheese.

He mixes everything together...

...and adds it to the bread cubes.

Adding the oil mixture to the bread cubes is a patient process. He drizzles a little over the top, then tosses the cubes to bring up the bottom cubes. Drizzle, toss. Drizzle, toss. Rotate the bowl. Drizzle, toss. He goes through this process about six times until the mixture is used up.

Then he spreads the bread cubes on cookie sheets...

...and bakes them at 375F for 13 to 15 minutes (or until slightly browned).

He lets the croutons cool completely, then bags and freezes them.

One loaf makes about 1.75 lbs. of croutons.

In theory – in theory, mind you – croutons are for salads and other savory dishes. In reality, however, these have become our New Favorite Snack. Seriously, we'll decant a small bowlful from the freezer bag and crunch on them by themselves. They are ridiculously delicious.

Speaking of crunching, Don crunched the numbers and compared homemade croutons with store-bought ones, keeping in mind we buy all ingredients in bulk. The homemade ones are about half the cost of bulk store-bought croutons – and twice as good.

Here's the recipe he uses. Since one loaf of our homemade bread makes about 12 cups of cubes, he quadruples the recipe. (He also doubles the amount of garlic, 'cuz we love garlic.)

I don't know why it took us so long to make our own, but there you go. Seriously, we're never going back to store-bought croutons ever again.

Product Review Monday

This week's book review is a self-published tome entitled "The Shoestring Girl: How I Live on Practically Nothing and You Can Too," by Annie Jean Brewer.

I picked this up at a thrift store several years ago and frankly was impressed by how comprehensive the advice is ... comprehensive and, well, sometimes a little over the top (notably on her insurance advice). The author was a single mom of three living in some pretty dire financial circumstances, yet she managed to get by. Not just got by, thrived.

An impressive 400 pages in length, the author urges readers to take a good hard look at everything in their life and question whether striving for certain goals or possessing certain things are truly necessary. Some of the glimpses into her life are kinda crazy, and sometimes her advice reflects that. As she put it, "If you don't like an idea [in the book], just move on to the next one. No one is going to come knocking at your door if you don't implement these suggestions."

Despite a certain lack of copy editing (the author really needs to learn the importance of commas preceding independent clauses), I found myself vastly admiring her spunk and grit. This is a woman who has been dealt a difficult hand in life, and she buckled down to make things work. Kudos.

If nothing else, "The Shoestring Girl" reminds us that if author Annie Jean Brewer can get by, so can we.

_______________________

This week's product recommendation is something we literally reach for on a daily basis in our household: Duracell 1200 lumens flashlights.

Something like 20 years ago, Don and I invested some serious money for a rechargeable 1,000-lumen ... um ... flashlight? spotlight? ... Whatever you call it, it was the size of a boombox and weighed about 20 lbs. But it was bright, and sometimes a bright light is necessary on a farm to see what's disturbing the cows in the middle of the night.

That boombox-sized spotlight was bulky, expensive, heavy, and took a long time to recharge. It also didn't last much longer than a couple of years.

So when we found these 7.5-inch long pocket flashlights achieving an even higher lumen count than our old boombox, we were thrilled and bought five packs, 15 flashlights total. Later we bought even more.

Seriously, we keep a basket of these babies near our back door. 

We also keep them scattered on windowsills and other strategic locations. I keep one in my purse. We keep a couple in the car.

At their brightest setting, these flashlights are strong enough to scan the yard or pasture if something seems amiss after dark. At the lower setting, they're excellent for searching for a hard-to-find item on a back shelf in the pantry.

The flashlights are battery-powered (AAA) and have no rechargeable (i.e., plug-in) option. However, often we use rechargeable AAA batteries in them.

[Note: A reader said, "Just wanted to let you know that these current flashlights DO have a rechargeable port! We have these same flashlights and really do love them. There's a small metal collar just below the power button that can be spun to access the USB C port. It's possible you have an earlier model, but the ones you linked above ARE rechargeable.]

We've gone through many variations of small, powerful, pocket-sized flashlights since our boombox-spotlight days, and these are some of the very best we've found for the price. Highly recommended.

(Obligatory disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Affiliate, if you purchase through those links, we earn a small commission.)

Oh! Before I forget, please direct your attention to the upper-right column of this blog. By popular request, I've put up a link which lists all the book and product recommendations we make, and we will keep it current.

Small circles are the most important when big circles get crazy

I read something recently that struck me as true: "Small circles are the most important when big circles get crazy."

The context is the ability to pull joy from things close to you (family, home, garden, pets, etc.) when things in the wider world are dark, depressing, dangerous, and dire.

I know several people whose health – both physical and mental – is adversely impacted by the amount of "doomscrolling" they do. By focusing on all the things outside of their control, they forget all the beauty and blessings with which they're abundantly endowed.

We can't control what happens on the other side of the planet or what decisions our politicians make, but we can enjoy the sight of a rose in bloom or kiss from our spouse or the cheerful chatter of children.

Remember, small circles are the most important when big circles get crazy. Maybe it's time to make our circles smaller.

A crash course in marketing and promotion

We've set a release date for Rachel's Folly: August 19.

But unlike the massive and efficient promotion machine I've been able to enjoy when writing under the Harlequin line, we're on our own for this one. Don has taken it upon himself to become my manager in this endeavor, and trust me when I say he's been undertaking a crash course in marketing and promotion for the past couple of weeks.

Getting this book published started with the manuscript itself, of course. I gave it one final read-through, and then handed it over to  Jessie Denning of Denning Print Company. She and I went back and forth on page font, etc., and then she uploaded the manuscript and sent me the pdf. I read through the pdf carefully and found quite a number of changes to make. (It's amazing how reading something in "book" format makes you look at a story with fresh eyes.)

Meanwhile, Don and I worked on the cover design. We had some lengthy discussions about how it should look. I don't care for "people" covers, much less the so-called "clinch" covers (when the Hero and Heroine are embracing; ug, I hate those). We opted to adopt a retro quasi Art Deco style that, we feel, is both eye-catching and accurate to the story setting.

We also had to write a back-cover blurb which summarizes the scenario of the story without giving away too many specifics, including the "black moment" near the end. We provided all this to Jessie, who then combined all the components into the final product, which she then uploaded to KDP (Kindle Direct Print) on Amazon, which will provide both e-versions and print versions of the book.

We could literally hit "publish" tomorrow, but we're delaying the official release date by a few weeks to give ourselves time to gin up interest among a broader readership.

I can't begin to express how grateful I am that Don has taken on so much of the marketing and promotional burden. You all know how famously averse to social media I am. Yet for business purposes – and make no mistake, writing is our business – sometimes it's a necessary evil.

I have a Facebook page. Up until this point, it had one purpose: To communicate with Younger Daughter in her overseas duty station. Thanks to Facebook's Messenger option, we can either chat with Younger Daughter by typing, or call each other. It's been a blessing to be able to stay in frequent communication with her. After a few bad experiences when I first set up this page, I refused to "friend" anyone except family members or trusted friends.

For obvious reasons, now this has to change. Don set up an ancillary Facebook page specifically for author activities (I'll insert an obligatory plug here – go "friend" me!) which is he managing.

I'm also on Twitter, another new territory to conquer. Most of what I post is a reflection of what's on the blog, but I do have some new stuff and I'm trying to get more active. (Feel free to "follow" me.)

But it's not just social media platforms we're working on. Don has also been navigating the complex and baffling world of promotion. In addition to the backcover blurb, we had to come up with a "blurb" (very short summary), a synopsis, a bio, a tagline, etc.

While there are endless services that promote indy books for a price, for obvious reasons we're trying to keep the costs down and utilize what free resources we can. At the moment we're focusing on Amazon and Goodreads, among other places.

We learned there are a number of sites that locate ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) readers who then write and post reviews of the book ahead of its release date. This apparently has a significant impact on the ranking algorithm used by Amazon when someone is searching for a book to read in the "sweet romance" category. The decision to purchase a book is often dependent on the number and quantity of reviews available (a dearth of reviews often means lackluster interest or a lackluster product).

Of these various websites and services that provide ARCs and other publicity options, each and every one of them has a different application process, so Don has had to keep track of who he's contacted, what their timeline is, etc. He's created landing pages on all these various websites as well. It is all Very Complicated.

I already have an author page on Amazon, set up by Harlequin, but clearly it features only HQ titles. Don set up an author page for me to represent everything else, but it won't be visible until after "Rachel's Folly" is released. We're not doing pre-orders on this title; instead we're planning a "book bomb" for the release date of August 19.

For legal protection – Don came across a harrowing tale of a frivolous lawsuit a reader filed against an indy author, apparently just for (expensive) jollies – we'll be publishing future indy books under an LLC, which we already have for our nonfiction writing. Under this LLC, we'll be publishing other indy romances, but also Don's country humor collection, some of our nonfiction ebooks, etc.

When "Rachel's Folly" is officially released, I will be asking all of you, dear readers, to help spread the word on your social media. We'll post more specifics on this as the release date approaches.

Phew. So now you know all the behind-the-scenes stuff we've been doing.

Buried in blueberries

For the last couple of weeks, I've been picking blueberries.

The first pick wasn't so bad, just a modest bowl-full. It took only a few minutes.

Well, that didn't last. Now the berries are ripening fast and I'm picking every other day (this photo is three days' worth of berries).

After I pick over the berries to remove any stems or blossom ends, I bag and freeze them.

The trouble is, it's been very hot here lately (102F yesterday), and I can't pick berries in full sun. Aside from the heat factor, for whatever reason I have a hard time telling ripe berries from nearly-ripe berries in full sunlight. That's why I prefer to pick in the shade. I can't pick early in the morning because by the time I finish milking Maggie, the sun is already on the blueberries. I've been picking late in the afternoon when a bit of shade falls on the berries from some nearby trees, but that only worked until the berries really ramped up production and the longer picking time started interfering with our evening chores.

So I rummaged around in the barn and found an old umbrella we used during our craft booth days. Propped up against the ridgepole over the berries, it's a compromise.

Here's the thing: The blueberry season has barely begun, and already I'm devoting 1.5 hrs every other day simply to picking. That's likely to increase even more, probably to two hours every other day. Last year, if you recall, we harvested just short of 60 lbs. of blueberries. I would not be surprised if we doubled that this year. (We've already let neighbors know we have berries for sale.)

So I have a lot of picking to do in the weeks ahead. Whenever I weary of the endless chore, I stop and give myself an attitude adjustment. How many people working cubicle jobs would do anything to spend a couple of hours in a blueberry patch? It helps change weariness into gratitude.

Honestly, I never expected the small bushes we planted four years ago to do this well ... and they're still not fully mature. How much more can these bushes produce? Time will tell.

When I'm that age...

We have an older couple who lives down the road from us. They're in their late 80s or early 90s and are as active as anyone I've ever met. Bill, the husband, used to be a heavy-equipment operator and still is the go-to guy when anyone in the neighborhoods needs a load of gravel, a building pad bulldozed, a trench dug, or any other heavy-duty project.

Bill and his wife own the five-acre pasture directly across the road from us. They have one horse and two head of Angus cattle (cow and bull).

A couple months ago, the cow gave birth to the prettiest calf imaginable – pure white, with dark eyes and nose and hooves. Just darling.

Well, a few days ago the calf got out onto the road. We called Bill to let him know.

Mama and the bull were trotting along the fenceline in agitation, trying to figure out how to get reunited with Baby.

A few minutes later, Bill and his wife make it up to start rounding the calf back where she needs to go. Don and I grabbed a couple of push poles and began gently herding the calf down the road, to where Bill had opened a gate into the pasture. We're old hands at this and it was nothing unusual.

The calf finally saw the gate and dashed through it, reunited with her herd. And then – this was the funny part – Bill literally sprinted across the road to close the gate before the older animals escaped as well.

It was the way he sprinted to close that gate that impressed me. I'm not precisely sure how old Bill is, but I think I remember him mentioning a couple years ago that he was somewhere in the vicinity of 90 years old, which would put him at about 92 now. And he's still sprinting to get a job done.

That's exactly how I want to be when I'm his age. Go Bill.

Product Review Monday

(Below is Don's book review this week.)

My book suggestion for today is tiny...but oh so packed with information: The Pocket Ref.

At only 5.5 inches tall, this is truly a pocket book. I've had a copy of the Pocket Ref in my possession for years. If for some reason you were magically sent back in time to the 1800s and could only take one book that could fit in your pocket, this is that book.

The Amazon link has an astoundingly long list of the diverse kinds of critical information this volume contains. Much of the information that makes up our modern civilization is included in this tiny, dense book.

Frankly, this is the perfect "guy" stocking stuffer. Highly recommend.

___________

Today's product recommendation is something near and dear to my heart: A pressure canner.

The two most common types of (American) pressure canners are All American and Presto. The advantage of an All American is its heavy-duty quality, the lack of a gasket (it has a metal-to-metal seal), and its incredibly sturdy build. The All American quality is such that it can be used for generations. The disadvantage is cost – depending on size, prices range from about $350 to $650 (the best-selling model #921 is about $450).

The advantage of a Presto canner is its cost (about $125). The disadvantage is the gasket on the lid – it must be checked and replaced every so often to ensure a proper seal. Additionally, the Presto is not as heavy-duty as the All American, and frankly is not built to last as long.

I've owned my All American (model #921) for 35 years and adore it. I have used a Presto once or twice (while teaching friends to can) and, while I didn't like it as much, a lot of that was due to my unfamiliarity with the product. However it should be noted that every canner becomes passionately attached to his or her particular brand and model, so go with whatever brand you prefer. Both brands have a long history of home-canning excellence. (It's worth noting, however,  that neither canner is recommended for use on a glass-top stove.)

I have no experience with Mirro canners and therefore cannot make a recommendation. Ditto for Presto's new electric canner – the National Center for Home Food Preservation has not approved the electric canner, though they stop short of saying it is unsafe (they just haven't tested it yet).

I'm a passionate canner and have canned literally thousands of jars of food in my All American pressure canner. A pressure canner is the ultimate tool for those interested in food preservation.

(Obligatory disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Affiliate, if you purchase through those links, we earn a small commission.)

Fruitful trees

Last year, if you recall, we were nonplussed that not one single wild plum or wild blackberry bush yielded any fruit.

Seriously, in late summer these two categories are usually astoundingly fruitful. The wild animals congregate toward this abundance in droves, as you can imagine. There are hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of wild plum trees and untold acres of wild blackberries, and as far as we could tell not one single plum or blackberry ripened. The lack of this bonanza must have been as difficult for the wildlife as it was bewildering for us.

But this year ... this year the abundance has returned, perhaps all the heavier for its lack last year.

In spring, the hillsides were lit up with plum blossoms, like cotton candy.

These blooms are spectacularly beautiful.

Now that full summer is here, the blooms are translating into developing fruit. Take this venerable plum tree by the side of our road, for example.

The young plums are so thick, they almost look like clusters of grapes.

A couple weeks ago, the blackberries flowered, and all indications point to a similar level of production.

Now the petals are dropping and the tiny fruit is forming.

We never found out why there was no fruit last year. But at least this year, the wildlife are going to  feast.