BAKE ALL THE THINGS!!

I am too full to finish what I was doing.

Today was bake all the things, except - I'm too full to finish the baking.

We had chili for dinner, out of the freezer. When I cook things like chili or soup, I cook a huge batch. (So the larger stockpot Daughter got me for Christmas has been a blessing already)  We have enough for that meal, a couple other meals, and the rest goes in the freezer.  If I happen to have some of the huge empty Nesquik containers on hand, it goes in there.  (These containers are great - first, it is bulk chocolate milk mix that costs the same as 1 1/2 regular sized containers from the grocery store, but instead has the content of at least five of those regular sized containers, and second, it's heavy duty plastic that holds up well to freezing again and again.)  If not, it is meal portioned up - usually 3-4 servings worth - into zippie bags.  We used to use glass jars, but too many have broken in the freezer or during the thawing process, creating a lot of waste.

So chili - and all these strawberries.  I saw something about drying strawberries on Facebook and shared it,  and since fresh strawberries were on sale, I got two containers. Added those to the two containers daughter brought home yesterday.  But not all are for drying - oh no, some are for SHORTCAKE!

So the first baking thing was the shortcake. While that baked, I cut up the strawberries - two trays filled for the dehydrator, and the rest into the large bowl for shortcake.

Yes, my grandmother taught me how to pinch off the tops.
But this way, the Chickens get a container full of treats for tomrrow!

 A bit of sugar, a splash of water, and judicious use of the potato masher, and the strawberries were ready to eat. Of course, in the process, I found out that my 20 year old potato masher is giving up. I need a new one - one of those nice, old fashioned ones like this:

 

I have no idea why I have a plastic one and not one like this already. Hmm.

Nicely baked shortcake.

So, shortcake ready, strawberries ready, strawberry slices "baking" in the food dryer -on to the next thing.

Whipped cream.

There was a partial pint of heavy whipping cream in the fridge - likely left over from daughter's fudge making at Christmas time.  It's still fine, so into the chilled steel bowl it goes.  And I'm lazy - I have the whisk, I have the hand beater, but to do whipped cream in any sort of timely manner? Electric mixer!  High speed, about 5 minutes, and the soft peaks start.  A small amount of powdered sugar for taste, and it is ready.  

On to the next thing while the chili finishes heating.  This Lemon Cake recipe that's been haunting me for weeks, begging to be tried. Lemons were purchased two days before Christmas. Then I got sick. And then I'm unmotivated.  But today - we zest the lemons!!

This is going to take a while.

The recipe calls for 1/3 of a cup of the zest. 2 lemons in, I realize this is going to take some time. And chili is ready. So I get daughter ("about time!" she says teasingly) and start serving up food, and she decides to zest a lemon.  Make that two.  Five lemons in, we're still not close. Time to eat.

Pretty daughter, zesting lemons, bemused that I'm  taking yet another picture.

A bowl of chili , and then a bowl of strawberry shortcake with real whipped later, and I'm too full to move from this chair. I mean drowsy full. I'm just managing this.

I did look it up, and the zest can be frozen. So in a minute, the zest gets covered and put in the freezer, the zested lemons in the fridge, leftovers get put away and I go at it again tomorrow.

What started as a "BAKE ALL THE THINGS" has turned into  "Bake the rest tomorrow".

And perhaps, tomorrow, we shall have cabbage rolls.

Only one egg today,  but the girls happily spent quite some time outside, and got half a cabbage cut up to share, so they are at least happy and healthy.  They are also learning that the walk through the basement to the dog run is a walk THROUGH the basement, not explore everywhere. Besides, nothing interesting to eat or peck in the basement, but there is in the garage and outside.

I did explain why they are going to the dog run, didn't I?  If not, I will tomorrow.