Day Two

Of what?, you might ask......
First of all, aren't those radishes so pretty? I've always liked them. And celery.
So it is day 2 of Biking! I brought by beautiful new bike home yesterday and introduced her to you.

And even though it was late, 8:30 pm, I made sure I put on my helmet and went out for a ride. I went a bit further than yesterday. Learning to use my 7 speeds. I did make it up my hill today, so already that is progress!!

It is also Day Two of Living a Low Carb Life. Yes, I know. Been there, done that. In fact I came across a photo of that time long ago that I was eating low carb successfully, trimmer, happier.

This was taken at a retreat. I was in the process of designing this quilt which became a gift for a friend of ours. He still has it and uses it. I am thinking it was just over 9 years ago.

It will be "harder" this time, but only if I consider it to be a diet. I've reread my books, gone over my cook books and done some grocery shopping. Hence the radishes!

Krista and Jeff are eating this way now too, so that is helpful. Nice to have others doing the same, and having them to share fresh veggies with once we've shopped at Costco!

Also Day Two of living WITHOUT FarmTown. So far, so good!
Will keep you up to date.

My New Ride

Isn't she pretty??? I've been contemplating a bike for many, many months. Lynn and I bought some second hand bikes about 7 or 8 years ago at an auction. We actually rode them together only a few times, as his idea of "riding" and mine are totally different. He meanders and I RIDE!
As my size increased over the next several years, the bike became more uncomfortable and less practical. When Ethan was riding his teeny, tiny bike with the training wheels, he wanted me to ride with him. So I was out there in ALL my glory, riding the bike with skinny tires, which seriously needed major air. I was a few yards ahead of him when he announced to me, and the whole neighborhood, in his sweet little 4 year old voice "HEY GEEMA!" I said WHAT? He said "YOUR BUTT IS SO BIG!!!" I said "YOU'RE RIGHT"....and on we went. And we sold the bikes at a garage sale that summer.
I've seen more women of "size" out riding bikes. And I was really attracted to those big handlebars. If they can do it, I can do it, right?
I was very athletic in my youth. I've always liked bike riding. So after a fair amount of research and quandary, I took the plunge and stopped into Jack's Bike Shop in Bellingham while spending time with my sister, who was up here for a visit. I hadn't really intended to buy a bike, but it seemed to just happen. I would have chosen a purple bike, but that wasn't an option....
Adding the basket was fun, and you can't see it, but there is a cool bell on the handle bars too.
So with the kids on their bikes, off we went for a ride today. No yelling came from behind me. That was a relief.
Now the task of really using this bike, and getting some much needed physical exercise.
To get me started, I eliminated my biggest time wasting addiction. FarmTown on Facebook.
That was 5 hours ago....no big signs of withdrawal yet.....though here I am, updating my blog!!
Be prepared to hear from me a LOT!
Off for another ride.

Some Family Time...

Here are my three sons....as someone pointed out to me, as usual the oldest two are supervising, while the youngest does the work!!!

I was excited to finally find a time that I could have all three boys, along with their families together for a few days. We went to Lake Cavanaugh, one of my very favorite places to go with my quilting friends. This is a private home, right on the lake.

We went on July 3rd, which was Lynn's 60th birthday!! Jeff, Krista, Jillian and Ethan came that day. Big surprise for us all was that because so many residents of the lake are only part time, there was a HUGE fireworks display on the night of the 3rd, since many people had to travel home on the 4th to work on the 5th. So it was loud and gorgeous to watch all these fireworks happening around the lake.

It had been a rainy day, but the sun broke through in the afternoon, so Jillian and Ethan did spend some time in the lake. And they all went out for a canoe ride, which I wish I had taken photos of. Jeff was the firebuilder that first night, and battling wet wood, and limited newspaper he was a trouper, and got it going! S'mores were enjoyed by all of us.

The 4th started early with Kyle, Genie, Carter and Henry arriving very early in the day. The weather was perfect and they all had a great time in the sun

Yes, Kyle is one of the whitest men in America and it looks like Carter is going to suffer from the same issue....

I thought this was a great shot, I assure you Kyle was right outside the photo!!




Carter loved his little boat and thanked his Auntie Krista for bringing it for him.

When they weren't in the water, the grands had a great time with tons of brio train set
























It's not often these guys get to play together, so the time they had was precious to me.

Todd and Jessica and their two dogs arrived the afternoon of the 4th. They brought dry wood for a fire and Todd set out to build quite the bonfire for our evening time on the beach. I told him it was looking like something he would need a permit for.

Jeff is putting some final touches on it. This is built right on the beach, no pit or anything.

We were all quite stunned when Lynn left the beach, came back in his swim suit, threw a towel in my lap and ran down the dock and leaped into the water!!! Said he could feel the 60 year old placque breaking up in his arteries!!! And no, I didn't have my camera ready for that.

I also wish I had gotten some shots of Cosmo, Jeff's border collie mix dog. I think he had the best time of everyone. It was his first experience in water, and he loved it. I think he would have chased those balls and sticks into the water until labor day....

Another night of loud and colorful fireworks, which unfortunately led to not a good sleeping night for Carter, Henry and therefore Kyle and Genie, so they headed home much earlier than planned, which was sad for all of us. I had hoped to get more photos, and spend more time with them all together. Best laid plans, as they say.

Jillian and Ethan said it was their second best vacation ever (their only other vacation having been a weekend to the Great Wolfe Lodge, go figure!) and they want us to go back again. In fact, Ethan announced he wanted to LIVE there!! I know just how he feels.

A New Project

Thank you to Melissa for the link to a blog of a woman who made a rhubarb infused alcohol. This is my lovely rhubarb patch, courtesy of another friend Bea who actually mailed the roots to me! I've been harvesting and enjoying it for several years now. I'm noticing this year I'm getting A LOT of regrowth so when I saw the idea of setting up my own moonshine business I thought why not!!!

I plucked about 20 stalks, and separated them from their beautiful big leaves. I do get annoyed at times when recipes give directions with a WEIGHT of something rather than measurement. Yes, I do have a digital food scale, just not sure where I stashed it.




This is my bowl with all those stalks chopped up. Next into the food processor for a bit of a whirl.
The directions say that gives more surface area of the fruit to be able to infuse it's yummy goodness into the grain alcohol.






These are the two jars, all filled with fruit and Everclear. Yes, you can get it in Washington State at the Liquor store. It is 151 proof, not 190. Maybe I could have gotten that in Canada, but it wasn't worth the wait at the border!!

Now these two jars will sit happily in my pantry for at least a month. It's going to be great!!

Things I Learned This Week

1. Grandkids are the best invention EVER. (post to follow with more Easter photos)

2. The GPS system on my phone is wonderful. If I could just figure out how to turn her volume down.

3. There is no "Love Pantry" or any other such store in Bellevue.

4. The Love Zone in Greenwood will let you try on their lingerie in their fitting rooms, and have all manner of "items" that make you raise your eyebrows or even blush a bit, but they will not let you use their restroom.

5. Sushi on the conveyor belt is wonderful. (another post to follow with great photos)

6. Whole Foods is a glorious store.

7. Being married for 37 years is a pretty good gig.

8. I love Royal Weddings. Yes, even the hats!

9. Donald Trump is an embarrassment and a buffoon. Doesn't he have anyone in his family or close friends who can be honest with him?

10. The Sun Will Come Out Again Eventually.

Cooking With the Kiddos

Jillian and Ethan are starting to learn some hands on cooking things with me these days. We did start with toast! Jillian makes her family "the best hotdogs ever" according to her brother. She makes them in the microwave. She also makes her own lunch - because she wants to! And often makes Ethan's lunch too.
So on this day we made our first batch of Rice Krispy Treats!! The lesson involved the differences of electric stoves and gas stoves, which mine is. Ethan is on a stool, btw.
I had Jillian read the entire recipe and get all the tools and ingredients together before we started cooking. The first photo shows them melting the marshmallows in the butter.
It's hard to tell, but they have plastic bags on their hands, which I sprayed with non stick Pam and they are patting the mixture down into the pan. It was a fun lesson. Next time we are going to try adding maybe some mini chocolate chips and maybe some dried cranberries. And then we might try using Cocoa Krispies!!
I tell them, if you can read you can cook. And if you cook what you like, you will become a really good cook!
Our next lesson will be eggs.

A Recipe From Old

Nothing new here, but always a winner, and every bit is eaten. My Aunt Kay has a big family gathering every summer and that is where I first had this salad probably close to 20 years ago.
Not an exact recipe, but this is how it goes.

Chop small bite size

fresh tomatoes - I do seed them

cucumber - 1 english

red onion - I smallish, chop this a bit smaller

package pasta - my fave is vermicelli. angel

hair is too fine. spaghetti would be 2nd choice

good seasons zesty italian dressing - the packet

I used to use the bottle kind, but making it

from the packet really is better

Johnny's Salad Elegance - liberal amount!

I keep about 1/3 of the prepared dressing, and add it just before serving, unless I am serving it right after having made it. The pasta absorbs dressing as it sits.

Have you found Anna and Kristina's Shopping Bag on Oprah's new network yet??? I'm still loving it, though it can be hard to find. After their reviews I have ordered a few new cookbooks. Do you think my cupboard has room??? Lynn let me know that one of the clubs is having a fund raiser, selling gently loved cookbooks!!! So I was able to clear out about a dozen books to make room for the new ones...
One if from Jaimie Oliver, a basic book and I'm enjoying just reading it. Really good info. I also ordered another Indian cookbook online tonight (dang having that Amazon prime account!!) which I read about in an old Sunset magazine I was going through this weekend. I'll let you know when it comes how it is.

For some bizzarro reason, my long standing wooden cutting boards decided to try to turn into a boat or something! I came out one morning and it was so NOT FLAT anymore!!! It was just sitting on the counter! Why in the world would that happen? So now I will be shopping for new cutting board. Poor me....
I am going to start eliminating some of the tools and not much used pots, bowls from my kitchen and make it more functional. One of the things I love watching cooking shows is how organized and uncluttered their work space is.

Chat with you again SOON!

Shepherd's Salad

Here is a second recipe from this great vegetarian cookbook. This reminded me very much of a greek/chopped salad. I have really gotten into loving homemade salad dressings. They really are so simple, and good. Fresh ingredients and having everything on hand makes such a difference. My newest resolution is to not buy store dressing anymore!

Here is the dressing for this salad.

4-5 coriander seeds, crushed, or 1/2 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp salt

1 tsp dried mint (hmm....I will probably try this with fresh in the spring/summer when I

can pick it from my garden!)

1/2 tsp dried dill weed (same with this one)

3 TBSP olive oil

juice of 1 lemon

Mix it all together in a small bowl or shaker. Pour over salad, toss gently and serve.

The basic veggies for this salad are exact:

1 green pepper, thinly sliced

1 onion, thinly sliced

3 tomatoes, cut into thin wedges

4 radishes, thinly sliced

1/2 cucumber, thinly sliced

1 clove garlic, finely chopped

2 TBSP finely chopped parsley

As recommended I did add greek olives and crumbled feta cheese. I also added a couple of pepperochini's sliced. There are some other alterations recommended in the book.

In my photo you may notice my mandolin. I do love it for slicing things that need to be uniform and thin. I actually like chopping and slicing most of the time, but my mandolin gets used a lot. I did spend a fair amount of time at Bed, Bath and Beyond looking at all the different options they had and decided on that one. It's easy to clean and does a great job. I probably should be better at using the safety guard provided.

Planning, planning, planning is what seems to help me the very most in the kitchen. My next big hurdle is to make meals for 2 people and not 4-6. Not that Krista minds taking leftovers home, but I just really ought to start making less.

And Away We Go.....

I've been pondering doing some kitchen/cooking things in my blog, and so here we are. I mentioned yesterday how much I am enjoying a new show I found where they review cookbooks. I thought I would do the same, and share actual recipes, with my modifications. I did learn that you can't copyright a recipe....and I'm not copying it verbatim, so I'm not worried about legal issues. I hope I peak your interest in maybe trying something new!

First up is this AWESOME book that my dear friend Jan turned me onto. http://www.amazon.com/Vegetarian-Dishes-Across-Middle-East/dp/161519004X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1297909250&sr=1-1

Jan made one of the recipes in here while we were at a quilting retreat last December, which will be the first one I share here, with my modifications. I've made this rice pilaf probably 5 times since late December, and it has never disappointed.

Rice and Zucchini Pilaf

1 lb small zucchini (they are nice a small at the store these days, I do two of them)

1/2 C (4 oz) long-grained rice, washed thoroughly under cold water and drained

I've used brown rice and had equal success.

1 1/2 tsp salt

4 TBSP (2 oz) butter (pick your chin up!)

1 onion, coarsely chopped

1/4 cup currents (I've always used golden raisins)

1/2 tsp black pepper

Top and tail the zucchini and rinse them well (oops). Cut into 1/4 inch rounds. If the zucchini are quite plump, cut them in half lengthways before slicing crossways.

Bring about 2 1/2 C water to a boil in a saucepan and add 1/2 tsp of the salt, and the rice. Boil for 8-10 minutes (no lid), then drain and set aside.

Melt the butter in a large saucepan, add the onion and fry, stirring frequently, until soft and turning golden. Add the zucchini slices and fry for 2-3 minutes, occasionally turning carefully.

Add the rice, raisins, the rest of the salt and the pepper and stir carefully. Cover and cook over a low heat for about 10 minutes, or until the rice and zucchini are tender. Set aside to rest for 10-15 minutes

Often I add some chopped mushrooms. I put them in after the onion and before the zucchini.

I even took a photo to show you my mise en place.....

I have learned lately to definitely get everything chopped and ready before starting to cook anything. You can see the page of this book is already well splashed upon. Sign of a much used recipe.

Let me know if you are out there. If you try the recipe and what you think!!

Following my Looking Back, Moving Forward theme, I will be doing old family recipes as well. I know everyone needs to remember how to make the famous tuna/potato chip casserole.....

New TV

I've always been a TV girl. When I was little, I even watched Lawrence Welk on Saturday nights. My parents would have people over to play cards once in a while and the kids would get the family room, close the door, watch TV.

Saturday morning cartoons, with my cereal in my plastic bowl. It was such a liberating feeling to be able to get my cereal and turn on the TV all by myself. A little later my day was planned around American Bandstand!!

Shindig, Hullabaloo, Ed Sullivan. Yes, I watched in awe as the Beatles made their appearance. I remember watching bowling for petes sake. And some Saturdays even watching some college football games. I thought I would grow up and go to Purdue, because I liked their snippets about the college during the games.

My Mom had to restrict me from watching Outer Limits and Twilight Zone because I would have scary dreams and wake her, or my older brother up to check the house because I was sure there was someone in there that didn't belong!!!

She also said I couldn't watch Peyton Place because it was too racy!!!

My younger sisters got into the Dark Shadows. Never my thing.

Once I married and had children, I fell into the soap opera abyss. Channel 4. From noon to 3. All My Children, One Life to Live and General Hospital. There was a short addition of Ryan's Hope, but I didn't stick with it very long. One day Jeff and Todd were napping and Kyle who was maybe 5 at the time, stood in front of the TV that I was viewing while laying on the couch, and he said "talk to me Mommy"....and I turned off the TV and never watched any of those soaps again.

When reality TV came into view, I wasn't going to bite! The first season of Survivor I refused to watch, read, hear anything to do with it! Sounded completely stupid to me. Then when the second season started I was visiting with sister Carol down in Medford and she MADE me watch the first episode. That was it. I don't think I have missed more than one or two episodes since then. I also really like So You Think You Can Dance (American AND Canadian versions), The Amazing Race, Top Chef and yes, the Bachelor/Bachelorette series.

Cooking shows have become the very new fave. And a new one has come into sight on the Oprah network, called Anna and Christina's Grocery Bag. Couple of Canadian women who review cookbooks, demonstrate their attempts to create a few recipes from them and also review kitchen tools and cookware. Love it.

The DVR has made my TV viewing much more efficient. I don't think I watch anything live anymore. And my tolerance for commercials is about zero!!!

I have two friends who don't own, or watch TV. I admire them both for their ability to keep busy and informed without it!!! We have a TV in every room of our house, except for the bathrooms. Yes there are days I don't turn it on at all. Kind of refreshing. I will put my iPod in the dock and listen to music, or get my headset for it and listen to a current audio book. Hardly ever do I have no audio stimulation. I wonder why that is......