Dumbo Orecchiette

I made an impromptu batch of simple pasta dough this evening and rather than running it through the pasta rollers, I thought I'd employ Ella in helping me make some orecchiette.  Orecchiette are little ear-shaped noodles that are shaped by rolling out the dough into long cords and then cutting little snippets and pressing them somewhat flat like an ear.  The ones that Ella and I produced look like they'd been lopped off the side of Dumbo's head, but she had a blast squishing the springy dough with her thumb and dusting each one with a ridiculous amount of flour.  We were both covered in the white powder before it was all over and the noodles were a bit dense, but it was worth it nonetheless.  

We took our little day trip down to Serenbe today.  It's located about half an hour south of the Atlanta airport but you feel like your just left of nowhere.  The community is still in its growing stages, but the concept is solid and I'm going to try and incorporate it into the show.  There's a great little grocery there called Harris & Clark, a couple of different restaurants (we ate at the Blue Eyed Daisy), an Inn, and several 'green' shops.  The ground around the Inn are beautiful, complete with sheep, alpacas, goats, chickens, and donkeys.  The pond even sported a bale of sunbathing turtles who belly flopped into the murky depths upon our approach.  The place has a great vibe that will only improve as it grows.  Their farmers' market opens in mid-April and it may be worth a return visit.

Full day.  Time to force some calories down and then hit the hay.  I'm still getting nowhere on my quest to add some pounds.  My little sparring session with the flu put me a bit behind schedule, but I'll keep trying.  

Be well...gesundheit!

Hans