The weather outside is delightful....

The weather has been pretty nice this winter.  It snows a bit and then it melts.  I've been getting outside a lot doing little things here and there. 

 

It has been so nice I raked the lawn.  Pine trees are my bane.  There is nowhere hotter than under a pine tree.  The needles carpet the ground below and they soak up the heat then reflect it back.  I know I will probably have to rake again in the spring, but it got me outside. 

My goal was to do a project every month based off of something I've seen on the internet.  This month I am after the elusive Danish roll.  I found this amazing recipe on Pinterest:  Sugar Raspberry Danish Bun - skilledcooks

The problem is you make a liquid mixture and a dry mix mixture.  After you add them together it says to incorporate the butter into the dough.  Well that is a little vague.  I've never added butter to the dough, I usually add it to the dry mix.  I melted the butter and that was a mistake.  I knew it when I did it.  Cold butter goes in pastry dough.  They turned out extremely stiff. It is a good recipe.  I just have to give it another go.  The custard was easy and yummy.    

I racked and bottled my plum and chokecherry wine.  I ended up with 14 bottles of plum and 7 of the chokecherry.  I have about 9 gallons currently processing.  I'm going to have to take a day and clean wine bottles.  People always give me their empty bottles.  I just need to take a day and get the labels off.  It is a 2 1/2-hour process to rack and bottle everything. 

That is about all I know.  This year is off to a busy start.  I'm happy for the warm weather.  I do wish I could snowshoe, but I'm sure that will happen in due time. How has your new year been?  Are you working on any winter projects?