Cooking up a storm, literally...

Well, with no weather brewing in my neck of the woods, my wonderful groom and I opted to cook up a storm in the kitchen. It was really a wonderfully relaxing weekend. We had so much fun together, but it all started with our own rendition of "Chopped". If you don't happen to watch that show, it's similar to many of the elimination reality shows out there today, except on this one, there are only 4 contestants. They are given mystery ingredients (usually off the wall and unrelated) and asked to prepare an appetizer. The chef of the least liked appetizer is eliminated and the remaining chefs prepare an entree and a dessert through the same pattern, until a single winner remains and is awarded $10,000. Nice, huh? Well, for us, that show is appointment TV. When we see the ingredients, I will often ask my wonderful groom what he would make. I don't know what it is about the show, but we love it. Well, on Friday, I picked up a few ingredient choices of my own, and he was challenged with preparing our 3 courses from those.

So, what was on the secret ingredient list???
Appetizer: Puff Pastry, Avocado, Artichoke Hearts and Ginger Root.

I would describe his avocado-artichoke pâté w/ balsamic braised ginger puff pastry towers as... scrumdiddlyuptious! Even the presentation was pretty cool. He was so cute whipping up stuff in the kitchen. Where I thrive around weather, he thrives in the kitchen. I love all the passion he has for creating in the kitchen, especially since I am not a huge fan of cooking.

After we devoured that yumminess, I presented the next round of mystery ingredients, which were still a secret to him.

Entree Ingredients: Skinless Chicken Breast, Turmeric (which stains the counter horribly, but it's nothing bleach can't handle), Chanterelle Mushrooms, and Banana Chips. :D He knocked it out of the ball park!! Yummy! You see those banana chips rehydrating...? Drowning their sorrows more like... He added apple jelly to make a wonderfully flavored jelly to eat with the chicken.
In the end, he had created drunken chanterelle chicken rolls with tipsy banana puree'. Yes, we were getting a little silly after this round. The chanterelles had bathed in a pool of whiskey, while the banana chips rehydrated with some vodka. The flavors though... yummy, yummy.

Then, the final round was dessert, where I brought out Pomegranate, Ricotta Cheese, Pepperidge Farm Milanoes, and a Milky Way. Seriously, how can you go wrong melting heavy cream and milky way together??? My theory on life, "You can never go wrong with a Milky Way." So the Milky Way melt was just a covering for the yummy Kahlua Milano brownie. The bits of Milano added bursts of explosive yum throughout the dessert:

Milano Way brownie and pomegranate cream... for mature tastes... It may not have been the most appetizing looking dessert, but oh my!!! Ta da!

Of course, I mentioned cooking up a storm, I somehow missed capturing the tornado that blasted through our kitchen... He sure is excellent chef, but he can also wreak havoc in a kitchen.



I know you're not here to hear about our kitchen escapades, so let me share this... Tropical Storm Parma (remember that one? The storm that has killed 600 or so, so far in the Philippines) has made its 3rd landfall, this time in China. It is devastating the impact that Parma (the storm that wouldn't end) has had on that region. Fortunately, Parma should be downgraded before making landfall again.

In addition to that, back in the states, while the higher elevations are battling snow storms and ice on the roads, here in the south where we are battling humid and warm weather, the Atlanta area is being pummeled once again with gobs of rain, causing flash flooding and reigniting the fears of those who have just endured serious flooding in that region. After years of drought... they are now dealing with a scary surplus that is literally washing them away. Unfortunately, what they are experiencing today is nothing compared to what's in the forecast. Turn Around, Don't Drown.™

Apparently, the storm brewing at our house, brewed up a little something-something.3:00PM radar.

AREAS AFFECTED...PARTS OF S CNTRL GA INTO EXTREME SRN SOUTH CAROLINA

CONCERNING...SEVERE POTENTIAL...WATCH UNLIKELY

SEVERAL LOW AMPLITUDE MID-LEVEL WAVES ARE APPARENT WITHIN THE WEST SOUTHWESTERLY FLOW ON THE NORTHERN FRINGE OF SUBTROPICAL RIDGING CENTERED OVER THE FLORIDA PENINSULA. PERHAPS THE MOST SIGNIFICANT OF THESE MAY BE CURRENTLY ACCELERATING EASTWARD THROUGH THE CAROLINAS. IN ITS WAKE...A SURFACE COLD FRONT HAS BEEN ADVANCING SOUTHWARD THROUGH SOUTH CENTRAL GEORGIA AND SOUTHERN SOUTH CAROLINA...UNDERCUTTING DISCRETE CONVECTIVE CELLS FORMING IN THE WARM AND VERY MOIST TO ITS SOUTH...AND AHEAD OF THE NEXT MID-LEVEL WAVE. WHILE THE PRE-FRONTAL BOUNDARY LAYER AIR MASS IS CHARACTERIZED BY WEAK TO MODERATE POTENTIAL INSTABILITY... LOW-LEVEL FLOW FIELDS IN THIS ENVIRONMENT HAVE BEEN SLOWLY WEAKENING...CONFINING STRONG LOW-LEVEL SHEAR TO AREAS IMMEDIATELY ALONG AND TO THE NORTH OF THE FRONT. GIVEN THE STABILITY OF THE POST-FRONTAL BOUNDARY LAYER...ANY RISK FOR TORNADOES SEEMS CONFINED
TO THE IMMEDIATE VICINITY OF THE FRONT...AND LIKELY SHORT-LIVED...WITH THE POSSIBLE LOW PROBABILITY EXCEPTION OF ANY CELL ABLE TO PROPAGATE ALONG IT FOR A SUSTAINED TIME PERIOD. OTHERWISE...LOCALIZED STRONG WIND GUSTS AND PERHAPS SOME HAIL SEEM
TO THE BE PRIMARY SEVERE THREATS SOUTH/EAST OF MACON INTO THE SAVANNAH AREA THROUGH 22-23Z.

Have a great day!
~Dewdrop

Typhoon Melor about to make contact with Japan

As we wait to see what impact Typhoon Melor will have on Japan, we see ANOTHER tropical storm whip up over the Atlantic basin. Welcome Tropical Storm Henri (ridiculously pronounces On-ree... whatever!), hovering over by the Lesser Antilles; however, not expected to impact them. In fact, doesn't look like Henri (on-ree) will have much impact on anywhere. Tropical Storm Henri just arrived on the scene, and he isn't expected to be anything more than a remnant low beyond tomorrow.

ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS ARE RATHER HOSTILE

Sorry, Tropical Storm Henri (On-Ree), you missed your prime.

Now, back over in Japan... fortunately, Tropical Storm Parma still spins and dumps rain over the northern Philippines. That system has been all over northern Philippines. They have got to be tired of the rain by now. Unfortunately, Typhoon Melor still rages onward toward Japan, with parts of the country already beginning to feel the impact of waves and wind. The typhoon is expected to make landfall in the wee hours of their night, but within the next several hours. With only 86mph winds, Typhoon Melor is the equivalent of a category 1 hurricane. I don't anticipate a horrible impact.

P.S. Yesterday's severe weather warnings amounted to a few hail reports. Sigh.

Have a great day!
~Dewdrop

Japan braces for Typhoon Melor

How much will you remember of the system formerly known as Tropical Storm Grace? That's right, she is no more. Her remnants have been absorbed by a frontal system, so what we saw as Grace for the blink of an eye, is nothing but a memory, if even that. Most people don't remember insignificant storms. If I say Andrew, you know which storm I am talking about. If I say Katrina, you know. What about Tropical Storm Marco??? Anyone remember that one? Didn't think so. Have no fear, the now stirred tropics are showing minimal signs of life, with an invest area off to the east of the Lesser Antilles...... a little more typical of what we might expect to see at this stage of the game.

In the western Pacific, we still have Tropical Storm Parma, basically stationary over parts of the Philippines (just what they don't need), and we have Super Typhoon Melor Melor, which has lost some intensity, but is still a force to be reckoned with. Typhoon Melor has its sites set on Japan, specifically between Osaka and Tokyo. After breezing by Okinawa, Melor is expected to reach Japanese soil by early Thursday (their time), as a typhoon, though hopefully not as strong.
Closer to home, the country's midsection is facing a threat of some severe weather. A low racing across Minnesota and Wisconsin has a tail of thunderstorms dragging down into Texas, seriously a line of storms stretch from northern Minnesota, over the Kentucky, then down into the base of the Texas panhandle. It looks like two rounds are possible, with damaging winds being the greatest threat and a potential for severe hail. Tornadoes are not likely

A NON-ZERO TORNADO THREAT WILL...HOWEVER ...EXIST FROM NRN LA AND CNTRL/SRN AR INTO ADJACENT PARTS OF TN AND MS WITH ANY SUSTAINED STORMS/POSSIBLE SUPERCELLS THAT INTERACT WITH RESIDUAL WARM FRONTAL SEGMENTS ON SW FRINGE OF ERODING COOL DOME.

Have a safe day!!
~Dewdrop