Ballard Street by Jerry Van Amerongen for March 16, 2016

Ramblin Rose – Shhh – I left you some fabric samples late yesterday.

A digging club! What could be better!

I can dig it, you can dig it, he can dig it, we can dig it….

I will be on the road for a couple days but I assure you that St Patrick’s day fabrics are available:

..Bev might like this one:.I could see this working on Ballard Street:

OK never mind that last one. Happy St Paddy’s Day!

There are so many wonderful clubs for the Citizens of Ballard. Especially for men. The women of Ballard are truly grateful for this.

Well, maybe except for Gary’s group. They also meet on Friday afternoon at the Ballard Mental Health Clinic and Brewing Co.

Dig, Eric! Dig like you’ve never dug before!

What a good fit for Eric!

He has always loved to dig, but he never knew quite what to do with his hobby…

Ted started the club in 1997….He’d already been really into digging for years.

He’s almost ready to go semi-pro next year, in fact…

His energetic friend Gary is pretty much up for anything Ted wants to do… so he helps keep the ball rolling,and the spades digging….

Bev…. yeah…. they really ought to stop letting that Conrad have a turn picking the day’s location….

But it’s hard to deny one member a chance, especially one who’s been in the club for 15 years….even if he occasionally gets them shot.

Dennis!

I love the fabric you said you have in your home…the one with the m…. uh…. shhh… you know.When you get back, could you see whether you can get it with some other color background, please?Red would be best…. especially a dark shade…but I’m willing to consider something else.

I’d like 47 and 1/3 yards, please…. if the color and price are right.

Getting diggy with it.

The Ballard Digging Club has gone to pot (holes) !

Their afternoon excavations and aerations has led to several mishaps and bruised hips from unsuspecting pedestrians inadvertently stepping into one of these mini-craters.

While I am the first to champion fresh air, healthy physical exercise, camaraderie and fellowship of kindred spirits, the Boys of the Backyard have gotten a bit over-enthusiastic with the shovels and spades. They happily hollow out holes , however, they forget to finally finish filling them.

Here, Helmut Herkanjerken, Ballard’s Search & Rescue Chief, prepares to enter into one of the holes left by the Digging Club, in order to rescue Mrs. Pinchbottom’s pooch that accidently fell in:

Right after is nap time.

Entranced Eric enjoys excavating enormously…

The digging club has become a real nuisance at my end of Ballard St.

X … don’t worry… I see they’ve been cornered…and the police(?) have painted a big white arrow on the street….pointing right at them!

Have you ever had buttermilk brined fried chicken?

I occasionally experiment in the kitchen, changing up recipes, and this time i got a winner.

In brining chicken before cooking you season and hydrate the chicken before cooking. If you put some kind of flavor in the brine you can also infuse that flavor in as well.An excellent brine for frying chicken is a brine made with buttermilk. You shake off the excess brine and then batter/fry as you normally would. It comes out amazingly moist.

Today i marinated three drumsticks in a heavily salted blue cheese dressing. Started this morning so it would have enough time for the salt to work. Then, instead of frying, i dipped it in Panko bread crumbs heavily seasoned with Hungarian hot paprika, black pepper, garlic powder, salt and sone cornstarch (it helps with crisping).

Baked at 350 for a little more than a half an hour.

Came out seriously tasty.

Damn!Thats one hell of a gofer infestation!

it’s 9:30 here so it’s already the 17th for lots of youclick to see large