Where I live we were blessed with rain last weekend and cooler temperatures all week, which was a nice change from a week and a half ago when it hit 37C in my neighborhood.
By Friday we were back up to 30C, but we cooled down for a lesser batch of rain the last couple days.
You know what happens after rain… all the weeds go berserk and blow up.
At least, that’s what I’m blaming it on, not me being distracted and lazy about weeding and pruning.
Thursday the dandelions had shot up to knee-height and were annoyingly just laying down when I tried to run them over with the lawnmower and popping back up behind me, mostly unscatched. Ugh…
Anyway, that overgrown-ness reminded me an I really should get back to working on a coloring book I have planned for next spring. Which means sketching in the assigned sketchbook. Here’s the cover:
There’s a reason Ricky’s more comfortable having a smoke in a barren back alley than hanging out in a lush garden, I guess.
Anyway, the project is all too new and nebulous to say much more, but I have a lot of sketching to do, that’s for sure.
BRING ME THE ROYAL FLIP-FLOPS
Speaking of drawings, I keep finding spots in the upcoming Noah’s Archipelago comics treasury book that need bonus cartoons. I spent some time on Friday inking a bunch more, here’s just one:
Poor Noah, getting jealous of a rat...
A YEAR IN RATSVILLE
So, I have a bunch of short stories starring Ricky, some of which were previously released as podcast episodes a couple years ago. And I want to do something with them as not all are going to end up becoming graphic novels like Ricky B. Goes to Sea.
I had an idea about doing them up as an illustrated collection of stories, maybe 4 or 5 illustrations per, but then time spent on that is time not spent on graphic novels or other new projects.
And I want to have something to offer people who prefer ebooks, but I hear it can be a hassle to get images to read correctly on some readers. Etc.
Also, I have enough stories for 2 books.
So, I decided what I’m going to do is that I will be getting the stories edited over the next few weeks and posted as a pair of ebooks, one of which will be free for my newsletter subscribers.
I may later on do some illustrations for the stories and then format a print book which will have the illustrations to go with the stories, but for now, the plan is just ebooks.
I’ll keep you posted when things are ready.
SONG OF THE WEEK
For some reason today I woke up with the riff from “Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap” in my head, so here’s a live version from 2009.
It’s the first week of the month and that means Noah gets to hog this space. Take it away, Noah:
Hi everyone! If you’re like me and you and your father-in-law stuck a mini orchard in the backyard when your mother-in-law was away in Vegas and your wife was working a couple of years back, you’re probably up to your eyeballs in cherries right now. And you need a way to use them all up while simultaneously sneaking nutrition into your picky eater kid’s belly without her noticing.
Obviously some of those cherries are going to need to be frozen for winter use and some will need to dried for homemade trail mix, but another great way to use them up is for baking.
One of my favorite ways is cherry muffins. This recipe will make a couple dozen muffins, so first things first: get out those muffin pans and stick your paper liners in and preheat your oven to 400F.
Actually, first thing is to gather your ingredients because you might need to go run to the store. Maybe that’s just me.
3 cups flour (I use unbleached all-purpose)
1.5 cups sugar (I use brown sugar)
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup oil (I use olive oil, but you do you)
2/3 cup milk (I use coconut milk because some of us have sensitive tummies when it comes to dairy, but you do you)
2 large eggs, ideally fresh from your own backyard hens that your mother-in-law complains about all the time
2 teaspoons vanilla extract (get the real stuff, it’s worth it)
2 cups fresh pitted and quartered cherries
Optional: 1 cup chopped nuts (I like walnuts, but pecans or almonds are also great)
Not optional: YouTube video of your choice to distract you from the drudgery of pitting and chopping your cherries (I like those ones where the guys talk about aliens)
Note: some parents will substitute in some unsweetened applesauce for half the oil, so you’d have 1/3 cup oil and 1/3 cup applesauce, but my Ursula can tell when I do this and then gets all pouty because I’m trying to foist salad on her. And then she goes and complains to my mother-in-law and it’s very annoying. YMMV.
Note 2: Don’t pay for chopped nuts. Get shelled nut halves, seal the right amount in a ziplock baggie with the air squished out, and take out your frustrations on the baggie with the flat side of a meat mallet. Depending on the level of your frustrations, you’ll get smaller chunks right down to finely crushed nut powder. The latter is easier to sneak past picky eaters who have heard that nuts are a major component of granola and other health foods.
OK, now you stick your liners in your muffin pans and preheat the oven to 400F and get to pitting and chopping cherries. Set them aside in a bowl.
Sift your flour into a large bowl and add your sugar, baking powder, and salt. You should give this dry bowl a good whisk to get things evenly distributed.
In another small bowl, whisk your oil (or oil and applesauce if your kids aren’t as picky as Ursula), milk, eggs, and vanilla together in a small bowl.
Pour your wet stuff into your flour mixture and gently sir until it’s all well-blended. Dump in your cherries (and your nuts or nut powder) and stir just enough to get them evenly distributed.
Now spoon the batter into your muffin cups (fill about 2/3 full each).
Put your muffin trays in the oven on a shelf about half-way from the bottom. Cooking time will depend on your oven, but I find mine usually take 18 minutes in total, so I set a timer for 9 minutes then swap the trays left to right and turn each one around so the back in now the front. Then another 9 minutes.
Pull out, test with a toothpick (if it pulls out clean from the centre, they’re done.
Let them cool about 10 minutes in the muffin trays, then pop them out and let them cool completely on a wire rack.
I usually freeze most of mine after they cool: wrap each in cling wrap, then into bigger freezer bags. They’re good for about 3 or 4 months in the freezer.
The best way to get your picky eater to actually eat these “Those aren’t cupcakes, Daddy, cupcakes have frosting” muffins is to conspire with your wife to play “good cop, bad cop.”
I don’t mean the kind of cop play that happens after the kids go to bed with the fuzzy handcuffs, that’s your business.
I mean you get your wife to act mad at you about how much sugar is in the muffins and how Ursula should be eating carrot sticks and celery for snacks and baked goods are only for special treats. Make sure your picky eater overhears this but make sure it seems like your picky eater wasn’t supposed to overhear this. And then assure your wife that the muffins aren’t for Ursula, they’re treats for you and your missus and Ursula’s not allowed to have those muffins.
Then leave a plate of the muffins on the kitchen counter just barely in kiddo reach from the edge of the counter and watch for muffin crumbs and empty paper muffin cups to appear on the living room rug next to the Nintendo.
Thanks for that, Noah.
UPCOMING “HOLIDAYS”
Speaking of Noah, t’s a running gag with Noah’s Archipelago that Noah loves any National (Fill In The Blank) Day or other observances and holidays. Here’s a couple fun ones happening this week:
Monday is National Watermelon Day and National Grab Some Nuts Day
Wednesday is National Work Like A Dog Day… I think I’ll pass on this one
Saturday is Sneak Some Zucchini Onto Your Neighbor’s Porch Day
Well, that’s about it from me and my cartoon friends for this week. Be sure to share that zucchini around and avoid working like a dog.
If you know anyone who might find this newsletter fun, be sure to forward it to them.
