What's For Lunch Mr. Hawk?

 I checked my Mickey Mouse watch first thing in the morning.  There is one slight problem ... you can't see it in the dark.  It might have helped if Mickey had glow-in-the-dark hands, but even his white gloves don't show up.  Turns out it was 3:45.  That's 2:45 to California folks.  

Once awake, there's no going back to sleep, so I got up.  It was a 2-cup-o-Joe morning.  That got my brain to working on the watch upgrade problem.  If I'm really really lucky, I think I have it solved.  

 The Elks Lodge has WiFi.  I might possibly even talk them into using the "special" one with no traffic.  I can sit and have lunch, even the liquid variety if I wish, without sitting in the flower bed.  If it takes six hours, I can even sack out in the back room.  

In the meantime, as I hit the fridge for the umpteenth time, I spotted this guy sitting on my fence again.  He comes back every year about this time, so the lunch menu must be a good one.  I finally stuck my longest lens on the camera and lugged it outside.  

Still not the best of images ... he's a very long ways away up in a tree and I'm holding the camera against the stone pillar.  What a beauty.

 He flew down to the fence and sat watching for several minutes.  In a flash, he took off in a downward dive and landed in my corral.  I've no idea what's there except ants and skunk holes.  Wouldn't it be cool if he got a skunk?  Hahahaha

I know, no way, but it's a nice thought.  He came back up to the fence with his prize.  What's for lunch?  Whatever it was, it was too tiny for me to see.  I'm thinking maybe a lizard?  He took about three bites and it was gone. 

You looking at me???? 

 In a flash, he was gone, back to his perch in the tallest tree.  In no time however, I had another visitor.  Isn't he a beauty too?  This is the baby that got caught in my skunk trap.  Very smart kitty kitty this one.  He ate all the food I placed AROUND the trap, even some inside, but he NEVER stepped on that trip plate again.  We had a stare down for about ten minutes!!

 For MY lunch, I picked another Every Plate recipe ... a simple hamburger.  Kind of boring really, and I skipped the accompanying roasted carrots.  Let me just say this was one of the best burgers I've ever had with the simplest of ingredients.  

Salt and pepper, fry the burger.  Mix mayo up with a tad bit of wasabi.  I would NEVER buy that hotter-than-fire condiment, nor even THINK about putting it on a burger, but it was the best thing I ever did.  

Add to that a heaping clump of carmelized onions with the tiniest bit of sugar ... I'm not kidding, I could have eaten FOUR of these!!!  I bet it was much better than what the hawk had for lunch!!

 Now for some exceptional dessert ... flan.  It's one of my favorites, but I don't make it much due to the size the recipe creates.  Wait ... I found a recipe for Instant Pot flan ... meaning it was a much smaller pan.  I think I rather overdid the caramel part.  It was beautiful, but maybe a bit beyond burnt.

I thought the 14 minute cook time was a little long, but did just as the directions told me.  The hardest part was letting it cool in the fridge for 3 hours.  

At last my magnificent dessert was ready!!  I flipped it over to the plate.  Nothing.  I gently tapped the bottom.  Nothing.  Pretty soon I was slamming it on the counter, trying to get it OUT of the pan.  At last it fell, just as I was lifting the pan, causing the sauce to splatter all over my kitchen.  Great ... and it's pure sugar ... a gooey mess to clean up.

No matter ... I'm ready for the taste test.  It should be soft and pillowy.  It was so dense I had to cut it with a knife.  Really?  It didn't even TASTE like flan.  It was like chewing on one of Cooper's rubber play toys.  Where's my shovel!!!  This is NOT a picture of my flan.  It didn't even last long enough to get one.

 It died a horrible death as I slammed it into the hole in the corral.  So much for flan!!   Hmmmm maybe that's what the skunks have been after!!  

Better luck next time honey!!  Leftover Halloween candy was dessert.