Craig Dugas - A passionate tech junkie with a thirst for knowledge

Enchilada Soup IV

Finding time to make soup isn't easy. Sometimes it takes hours to get the perfect flavor and consistency. I've been trying to get around to making enchilada soup for a while now, but it seems like the past week or two have been action-packed. Tonight, I finally found the time to craft up a batch.

I've never had enchilada soup, but wintertime in Montana is very inviting to any soup, so I thought I'd put together a bit of a culinary creation. This is my first time pouring enchilada sauce on anything but enchiladas, and it's also my first time using masa harina (corn flour) to flavor and thicken soup. Fortunately, it worked quite well. I'm happy with this soup and look forward to making minor improvements to the recipe before it's finalized.

Schedulicity Online Scheduling

Schedulicity.com New Feature Release Focuses on Speed, Responsiveness and Social Media
Customers at the center of the company’s message and site redesign
January 28, 2010 – Bozeman, Mont
Schedulicity.com (http://www.schedulicity.com) announced today to customers its most ambitious software release with dozens of new features to make the online appointment scheduling service even easier to use, more responsive, more social and now faster than ever before. While the company has nearly doubled the available features since its beta-launch in March 2009, the price remains at $29 per month for a single user and $49 for 2-20 users. At the same time, the company launched a new website whose purpose is to amplify the voice of the service professional.

New Calendar Features
Schedulicity’s new and improved calendar speeds appointment creation with drop-down menus, an appointment clipboard, and the ability to change the daily schedule on the fly. A one-click “Today” button is designed to streamline time spent in the calendar. New 5-minute calendar increments allow greater flexibility and appeal to a broader array of service industries. Recurring appointments, reservation detail bubbles and overarching calendar navigation enhancements are designed to make the industry’s most simple-to-use service even more intuitive.

via schedulicity.com

I'm loving the latest release of Schedulicity.com! (And that I can show it off on my Android-based phone) :-)

Dried Cranberry and Crystallized Orange Muffin Experiment

I'm baking some experimental muffins right now - which will be the result of the thickest muffin batter I've ever seen. Maybe that's the secret to amazing muffins?

A few quick snapshots before they enter the oven.

     
Click here to download:
Dried_Cranberry_and_Crystalliz.zip (8278 KB)

Candied Orange Peel Slices

Between other things this busy weekend, I made some candied orange peel slices. They're destiny is dried cranberry / candied orange peel muffins, but I didn't get around to those yet - maybe later this week or next weekend.

   
Click here to download:
Candied_Orange_Peel_Slices.zip (7608 KB)

Coconut Cakes

I donated a small amount of assistance to Jessie's day-long culinary work to create fresh, homemade coconut cupcakes and mini cakes. By starting with fresh coconuts, she was able to add them to the cake, frosting, and then sprinkle some that we shredded on the outside since it has such a mild natural flavor.

We ended up with a bunch of cupcakes and two 4-inch mini cakes, so they should last us a while :)

       
Click here to download:
Coconut_Cakes.zip (6366 KB)

Little Dugas is on the Way!

Little Dugas is on the way! 

Jessie and I were just at the doctor's office and heard a very strong little 13-week-old heartbeat coming from the belly. We're looking forward to the little adventure that lies ahead.


A 60 second audio clip from our doctor visit with a bit of doctor commentary is attached below... if you're interested in that sort of stuff :)

  
(download)

 

Christmas 2009

A few snapshots from Christmas 2009 at home in Bozeman, MT.

         
Click here to download:
Christmas_2009.zip (22303 KB)

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Thanksgiving Meal 2009

Documenting another great Thanksgiving day! There's never enough time to take pictures when a homemade meal is hot & ready and waiting to be enjoyed, but I was able to grab the camera to capture a couple tasty memories :-)

Turkey: Hutterite, seasoned with s&p, stuffed with onion, garlic, savory seaonings.
Mashed potatoes: Just like Jessie's made them for years.. delicious!
Apple-Cranberry sauce: A tart treat. (recipe)
Stuffing: From scratch - wheat bread, onions, celery, water chestnuts, savory seasonings, Bell's seasoning, s&p, turkey stock.
Rolls: Brown 'n Serve and Butterflake.
Gravy: Made from Better Than Bouillon Turkey.
   
Click here to download:
Thanksgiving_Meal_2009.zip (9096 KB)

This is the first time I've purchased a local Hutterite Colony-raised turkey and it was impressive - very juicy and cooked perfectly.