Wednesday rain - plus a bonus

As awful as things have been around our area, it is now fairly quiet outside my door.  Since Monday, I've had over 6" of rain in my gauge - 5" last night - with lots of thunder and lightning.  There were tornadoes and fatalities just SW of us in NE Alabama; in Athens, TN, between here and Knoxville; and in Polk County, the second county east of ours on the NC/TN state line.  Plus the horrors of the awful fire in Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge, TN, Monday and Tuesday.  I hope all this rain has at least put out most of the fires.  Because of all the rain, we've had flash flood warnings, too. 

I drove myself to my doctor's appointment this morning.  I knew the swim class would be cancelled because of the lightning, so didn't see my buffird.  Nothing like driving for the first time in two months in a steady rain - but all was okay.

--------------------------------------------------------

I'm not a cook any more, but I know folks who would like this recipe from today's paper.

Salted Caramel Sauce

1 cup heavy cream, warmed

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup water

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter (cut into small pieces)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon kosher salt

       In a large, heavy saucepan, combine sugar and water and turn heat to medium high. Stir just until sugar is dissolved and then stop stirring completely. Do not stir the mixture; even if it looks a little grainy, that's just the sugar doing its thing. Boil for 6-7 minutes until the mixture has turned golden brown and starts to smell like caramel; make sure it doesn't get too dark or start to burn.

     When the mixture is a deep golden brown, turn the heat down to medium and stir as you slowly add the warmed cream. The mixture will boil up  vigorously (this is why you use a large pot).  Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the butter until it is melted and the mixture is smooth. Stir in the vanilla and salt.

     Cool the mixture to room temperature, then use right away, or transfer to a glass jar or two with a tight seal. Store in the refrigerator for up to a month.

     Start to finish: 20 minutes. Makes about 1 1/2 cups, roughly 12 servings.