Free Range Friday - Pizza,The Moon and some other things Culebra

The moon was so bright at 4 this morning, shining directly in my window, that it woke me up. As if to say, sorry for being so elusive earlier. Of course, that is anthropomorphism on a stellar level, so to speak, but it works for me. On Culebra, the full moon often shines in my window and I've missed it, so thanks, Ms. Bella Luna!

But of course, I had to also 

go outside to try to catch the moon, stars and a planet...

though without a tripod, it was hard to hold steady, 

so I tried to write my initials with the moon...

which turned out pretty neat!

Last night Phil and Laurie made pizza, using a whole wheat pizza crust they'd gotten at one of the co-ops around here. I am not a big fan of certain whole wheat items (like pasta), but this one was delicious. Or maybe it was all of the additions. Regardless, it was an excellent pizza!

Home Made Pizza Toppings

Fresh basil
Tomatoes
Pesto
Onions
Garlic
Mozzarella cheese
Parmigiano Reggiano cheese

***Here's a little factoid for you, from About.com, and if you already knew this, you get points:


Question: Parmesan vs Parmigiano

What is the Difference Between Parmesan and Parmigiano-Reggiano?

Answer: Due to Italian D.O.C. laws that protect the names and recipes of certain cheeses, a cheese cannot be called Parmigiano-Reggiano unless it is made using a specific recipe and production method within the provinces of Parma, Reggio-Emilia, Modena, and specific regions in the provinces of Bologna and Mantua. D.O.C laws are meant to preserve the integrity of traditional cheeses by insuring the flavor and quality. Therefore, any cheese made outside of these regions with a slightly different recipe or production method cannot be called Parmigiano-Reggiano . A cheese called Parmesan is essentially a cheese that imitates the recipe for Parmigiano-Reggiano, but is made outside of the approved Italian regions.

Of course, this is for a veggie pizza, you can add any toppings you like, which is the joy of pizza.

If you have a stone, it should be pre-heated in a 375 degree oven for 5 minutes. The pizza crust should be baked about 10 minutes, or until golden (which isn't so easy to tell with a whole wheat pizza crust, so keep an eye on it). Remove, brushing the crust with olive oil and put on the toppings. Return the pizza to the oven for 10 minutes and...

wa la! It's all good!

And now, onto things Culebra:

Tropical Storm Earl is forecast to swing to the north of the Northern Leewards, but it has been tracking farther south along the way and is definitely something to be keeping a weather eye on.

From the Crown Weather discussion this morning:

Discussion
Tropical Storm Earl:
Earl is pretty much a steady state tropical storm with 45 mph maximum winds this morning. With that said, environmental conditions are favorable for intensification and I expect strengthening over the next few days. Earl is expected to become a hurricane by Saturday night or Sunday morning and reach major hurricane status probably on Tuesday. It should be noted that many of the intensity models forecast that Earl will be a powerful Category 4 hurricane by Wednesday and given the environmental conditions forecast along with the very warm ocean temperatures, I think this is quite possible.

Earl is tracking nearly due west at a forward speed of 17 mph and this general westward track will continue right through this weekend. Earl is forecast to approach a break in a ridge of high pressure, which will likely be enhanced by Hurricane Danielle around Monday and this should cause Earl to turn to the west-northwest or northwest. At this point, it seems more than likely that Earl will pass north of the Leeward Islands, however, all interests in the northern Leeward Islands should closely monitor the progress of Earl this weekend. 

In other words, until the fat lady sings (that expected but not promised northerly turn), it's a good idea to make sure all of your preparations are in order. There is more coming behind Earl...

There was something else going on at home I wanted to write about...but maybe that was just a dream I had (interrupted writing this to get Laurie's dog George out of the river - no swimming involved, tide low, mud flats - he was going after the Canadian geese gathered there, and at 17 years old, we were worried about him getting back. He on the other hand, seemed to be having quite the larky time, even without catching a goose). Oh well, so it goes!

A very fuzzy photo of George on his way out to catch geese...he went a LOT farther out

Have a feisty Friday! Do something ferociously fine.