It's happened - I can actually feel a season shift here in San Francisco. Last week it was winter, and now it's Spring. I'm so excited. It's that subtle nuance in the weather - that tiny shift in the temperature and the landscape and the smell in the air that is screaming SPRINGTIME! It actually feels a lot like springtime in Seattle felt (which, of course, doesn't happen until July. :) Not really - but definitely not until March/April), because it's still raining. But there is a warmth in the air that tells me it is a spring rain, and that the winter rains have passed. There is a certain smell to the rain as well - wet concrete seems to have a different smell in springtime than in winter. Maybe because it's warmer? It reminds me of track, when outdoor practice stopped being brutally cold and wet and started becoming warmer, yet still wet, but now bearable. When we could stop wearing layers of tights and strip off those sweatshirts during the running workouts. This is the season where track haunts my memory and fills me with nostalgia - the smells and the rain and the new green growth on the trees just immediately transport me back to long jump practice, or hurdles, or 200 repeats. These are the days when I long to be back on the track with my smelly spikes on, jumping over or throwing something. I miss that. And there's just no substitute for it in regular life.
I headed over to my garden on Saturday. I'd like to say it was because the weather was lovely and spring-like, but it was mainly because earlier that week, I got a slightly terse note from the garden committee asking me to please weed my grossly overgrown plot. I was reminded that the garden agreement stated that all plots would be maintained. Oops. I have really let the garden go over the last few months, mainly because none of the seeds I planted were growing. I guess that doesn't mean that the weeds weren't growing. So, I needed to go make amends. But, the lovely, spring-like weather did make it easy to go and I decided to ride my bike. Since we moved to the new apartment, I've been meaning to ride my bike to the garden because there's really no excuse not to, now. It's so much closer. And it turned out to be a perfect bike ride. I only had to ride on city streets for about 8 blocks, then I entered the Panhandle (which is a 5-6 block skinny little extension of golden gate park) and rode through that until I got to Golden Gate Park and once I exited the park, I only had 6 blocks to ride on 7th Ave. Delightful.
My plot was an abomination - I'm so embarrassed. But it had been raining so much that the weeds were a breeze to pull out - like pulling a knife out of butter. Or something like that. I finished up in just and hour, and there was a full wheelbarrow of weeds to dump. Next up, I'm getting some new soil through a big group garden order and I am going to try some weedless gardening this year, meaning that I'll lay down a layer of material - newspaper, cardboard - and then load up the dirt on top of that, and then plant. Supposedly, the plants grow and the weeds don't. I don't know - my parents did an experiment with it last year and that section of their garden was SO happy and productive. I need to do a little bit more reading, but it sounds like a good plan. A large number of garden members are also going together on a big, bulk heirloom seed order which should be arriving in a few weeks and then I can get my plant on. The one HUGE advantage to gardening in San Francisco is that there is no such thing as a frost, and the soil is warm enough to plant directly in the ground almost year-round. So I can put my new seeds right into the dirt as soon as they arrive. The one HUGE disadvantage to gardening in San Francisco is that it will never be warm enough to grow tomatoes, bell peppers or corn, all vegetables that I LOVE. So, I'll stick to the lettuces and broccolis and spinaches, oh my. It's all good if it comes from the garden.
Last week, when we were in Big Sur, I didn't get a chance to go to the Sunday Farmer's Market and so I bought my fruit from the grocery store instead of waiting for the Tuesday Farmer's Market. Wow. Huge mistake. It's not worth it, just...don't even bother. I got underripe, tart and juiceless oranges and super-sour, mealy pink lady apples. So this week, I didn't need to go to the Farmer's Market on Sunday, only the grocery store for some staples, because we had a limited menu this week, but I opted to skip buying fruit at the grocery store and head to the Tuesday Ferry Building Farmer's market. I still had to suffer through some of the bad fruit yesterday and so today I'm looking forward to biting into a crisp, delicious, sweet apple and a juicy, sweet, flavorful orange and tangerine. And maybe there will be some kiwis if I'm lucky. Here's to delicious fruit!!
UPDATE: Okay, I totally jumped the gun and have to scratch all that I said about Spring time. I just stepped outside to go to the market and the nice, spring rain has turned into wet, cold and WINDY winter storm. It is fricken freezing out there! :( On the up side, venturing out was totally worth it - my fruit is DELICIOUS!
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Friday, February 19, 2010
Big Sur Weekend
We traveled down to Big Sur over the President's Day weekend with plans to camp at that beautiful campground I showed you a few weeks ago. Alas, the campground was fully booked by the time we got there, but we still had a spectacular time. When we started out from San Francisco, the weather was warm and beautiful all the way down to Monterey. But when we took a right to head out towards the ocean, things started to look a bit more foggy:
And so on...
The weather broke for us in every good way. It was warm and sunny and generally spectacular. We've driven this strip of coast about 5 times now, and it really never ever gets old. The vistas are breathtaking around every corner, and it's all you can do to try to absorb it and take it all in. The water ranges in color from vibrant turquoise to deep, royal blues with greens here and there when the waves crest. The green hills are always draped in a hint of light fog, making it seem mystical and mysterious. The road itself is completely terrifying, with the lack of guardrails and 500 ft. cliffs to drive off of, but that's why I make Neil drive. I could spend days and days traveling this stretch of earth.
We passed the Kirk Creek campground and saw the "Campground Full" sign, but that's kind of what we expected, so we kept on trucking til we got to the San Simeon State Park campground. It's so much closer to Hearst Castle, that it really made more sense to stay there anyways. We stayed out in the Washburn section of the park, which is the primitive camp, meaning that it only has pit toilets - no regular restrooms with sinks and showers and all those luxuries. It was no skin off our back because we were only staying one night and weren't planning on showering anyways. We got the tent all set up in a jiffy and then it was time to start on the fire. The first thing we noticed when we started setting up the tent was that everything was kind of damp. And when night fell, it just got more and more damp. I think it's honestly the wettest I've been camping when it hasn't been raining. I guess there's just a lot of moisture out there at the coast. Anywhoo, the dampness made starting the fire almost an impossible task. The wood was so damp, and we didn't have an axe to cut kindling, so we went through our first newspaper just trying to get the wood kind of dry enough that it might catch fire. Then we tore some little pieces off of the big wood pieces and used them as kindling and about halfway through the second paper, finally got those pieces on fire. We used up the remainder of the paper keeping the kindling alive until the wood FINALLY caught on fire. Barely. Here is our meager fire:
But, it was enough to heat up our chili and cook our hot dogs, so I can't complain too much. After eating, it seemed kind of silly to huddle around such a meager fire, so we put it out and went to bed around 9 after playing UNO in the tent for awhile.
The next morning we woke up to tent walls dripping with dew and condensation - everything was so wet. And super-duper thick fog outside:
Again, I was afraid we were going to get stuck with a wet, foggy coastal day, but by the time we had breakfast in Cambria and headed out to our 11:00 Hearst castle tour, the weather looked like this:
You have to ride a tour bus up to the top of the hill where the castle is, and the views from the bus are ridiculously spectacular. It was a little hazy down by the water, but up on the hill the skies were crystal clear.
We started our tour at the outdoor pool which is the only part of the tour that I remember from when we came as kids. It made a huge impression on me at that age, as we were REALLY into swimming pools when we were little. We used to scour the KOA campground listings to find the ones that had pools. Really, as an adult it's no different - I still want this pool with all my heart. I guess if you volunteer at least 50 hours for the castle during the year, you get to come to a pool party here once during the year. And if you donate 200 hours, you can bring three friends. This is my new retirement plan. After the pool we headed into the guest houses. There are four of them. The biggest has 10 bedroom and 10 bathrooms. We got to see four of the bedrooms/bathrooms. This was my favorite:
The view out the window was pretty magnificent.
Hearst actually collected ceilings. (pause to let that sink in) CEILINGS. Wow. But they were pretty amazing. This was one in the guest room and it was, I thought, the most beautiful one. I've spared you posting the pictures of all the other ceilings that I took because they were all so lovely. (I'm starting to run out of good adjectives to describe the magnificence of this castle so please bear with me through some more beautifuls/amazings/lovelies.)
We left the guest house and headed towards the main house. I actually didn't think this was quite as pretty on the outside. The guest houses really fit into the landscape nicely, and this big mostrosity sort of sticks out like a sore thumb. But the inside was pretty amazing, so I guess we'll give Hearst a pass.
This was the sitting room inside the main house. This is where all the rich and famous guests gathered for cocktails before dinner time. When dinner was ready, Hearst would descend from his upstairs rooms and lead all of his guests into the dining room.
Said dining room:
Hearst was married but he and his wife separated and then he took a mistress. Apparently, his wife would still come out to the castle when Hearst was entertaining dignitaries but his mistress was always around when they were entertaining everyone else. His wife preferred linen napkins and his mistress like paper napkins, so you could always tell who was hosting by how the table was set. When we were there, the table was set with paper napkins and condiment bottles (ketchup and mustard).
The end of our tour was the indoor pool which the child inside me was longing to jump over the railing into. It's calm, and blue and looks warm and inviting. The detail on the floor of the pool, and of the deck is laid with gold leaf, so we were literally walking on gold. *sigh* I was so sad that the tour was over, I wanted to circle back again and again. There are three other tours that we might go back and check out at another date. We still want to stay at that one campground.
After the tour was over, we headed back into Cambria for lunch, and had great burgers and barbeque at the Main Street Grill. And then it was time to head back to San Francisco. We stopped briefly at the elephant seal lookout. It's hard to see from this picture, but those lumps on the beach are elephant seals. I'll try and find a better picture.
I was so nervous that our weather was going to be crappy out at the coast, but we drove a few miles further and got this:
We passed the Kirk Creek campground and saw the "Campground Full" sign, but that's kind of what we expected, so we kept on trucking til we got to the San Simeon State Park campground. It's so much closer to Hearst Castle, that it really made more sense to stay there anyways. We stayed out in the Washburn section of the park, which is the primitive camp, meaning that it only has pit toilets - no regular restrooms with sinks and showers and all those luxuries. It was no skin off our back because we were only staying one night and weren't planning on showering anyways. We got the tent all set up in a jiffy and then it was time to start on the fire. The first thing we noticed when we started setting up the tent was that everything was kind of damp. And when night fell, it just got more and more damp. I think it's honestly the wettest I've been camping when it hasn't been raining. I guess there's just a lot of moisture out there at the coast. Anywhoo, the dampness made starting the fire almost an impossible task. The wood was so damp, and we didn't have an axe to cut kindling, so we went through our first newspaper just trying to get the wood kind of dry enough that it might catch fire. Then we tore some little pieces off of the big wood pieces and used them as kindling and about halfway through the second paper, finally got those pieces on fire. We used up the remainder of the paper keeping the kindling alive until the wood FINALLY caught on fire. Barely. Here is our meager fire:
The next morning we woke up to tent walls dripping with dew and condensation - everything was so wet. And super-duper thick fog outside:
Again, I was afraid we were going to get stuck with a wet, foggy coastal day, but by the time we had breakfast in Cambria and headed out to our 11:00 Hearst castle tour, the weather looked like this:
You have to ride a tour bus up to the top of the hill where the castle is, and the views from the bus are ridiculously spectacular. It was a little hazy down by the water, but up on the hill the skies were crystal clear.
The view out the window was pretty magnificent.
Hearst actually collected ceilings. (pause to let that sink in) CEILINGS. Wow. But they were pretty amazing. This was one in the guest room and it was, I thought, the most beautiful one. I've spared you posting the pictures of all the other ceilings that I took because they were all so lovely. (I'm starting to run out of good adjectives to describe the magnificence of this castle so please bear with me through some more beautifuls/amazings/lovelies.)
We left the guest house and headed towards the main house. I actually didn't think this was quite as pretty on the outside. The guest houses really fit into the landscape nicely, and this big mostrosity sort of sticks out like a sore thumb. But the inside was pretty amazing, so I guess we'll give Hearst a pass.
This was the sitting room inside the main house. This is where all the rich and famous guests gathered for cocktails before dinner time. When dinner was ready, Hearst would descend from his upstairs rooms and lead all of his guests into the dining room.
Said dining room:
Hearst was married but he and his wife separated and then he took a mistress. Apparently, his wife would still come out to the castle when Hearst was entertaining dignitaries but his mistress was always around when they were entertaining everyone else. His wife preferred linen napkins and his mistress like paper napkins, so you could always tell who was hosting by how the table was set. When we were there, the table was set with paper napkins and condiment bottles (ketchup and mustard).
After the tour was over, we headed back into Cambria for lunch, and had great burgers and barbeque at the Main Street Grill. And then it was time to head back to San Francisco. We stopped briefly at the elephant seal lookout. It's hard to see from this picture, but those lumps on the beach are elephant seals. I'll try and find a better picture.
Then we pointed ourselves north and did the Big Sur coast drive backwards. It was still beautiful:
I'm a sucker for a sunset photo.
It was so still, and soft and perfect, I wanted to snuggle up to Neily and sit there forever. But our bed was calling, so we got back in the car and said good-bye to Big Sur. Until next time...
In other, unrelated news, you know those little micro-planes that are absolutely amazing at zesting lemons and shredding cheese? Turns out they are just as efficient at zesting/shredding human flesh. Ouch.
In other, unrelated news, you know those little micro-planes that are absolutely amazing at zesting lemons and shredding cheese? Turns out they are just as efficient at zesting/shredding human flesh. Ouch.
Friday, February 12, 2010
Samples
I took a few pictures of some pieces of jewelry I made for family members for Christmas. I still haven't gotten the whole photography thing figured out, but gave it my best shot.
Earrings for my sister
Ring for my mom
I also made a bracelet exactly like this for my grandmother, but forgot to take pictures of it before I gave it away:
It's called an "Idiot's Delight" supposedly because only an idiot would take the time to make something like this. It's a lot easier than it looks...
A little preview of stuff to come....
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Make your own taco seasoning
We had tacos for dinner last night and I thought I would share my recipe for homemade taco seasoning with you all. I know you can buy those little packets of seasoning from the grocery store for next-to-nothing, but I honestly have stopped trusting what food companies put in those nice little packages. I've "assumed" all of these years that the food you buy is what it appears to be, but know now that processed food is rarely anything like what it claims to be. So, I try to avoid any processed foods at all costs, and make as much of my food at home using raw materials. I came across this taco seasoning recipe about a year ago, browsing around the internets. It seems so obvious that we should be able to replicate the seasoning in our own kitchens, right? I mean, someone obviously invented a specific blend of herbs and spices that we identify as taco seasoning at some point, and then marketed it on a grand scale. But when I saw the recipe, I was blown a way for a second. It was like a revelation! "You mean I can make that stuff by myself, and don't have to spend $1.75 every time I want to make tacos?" Wow! It was kind of the same feeling I had when I learned I could make ricotta cheese, or yogurt, or the Rice-a-roni Mexican Rice. It's honestly mind-blowing for a few seconds.
So, anyways, if you're interested, here is the recipe. It's simple and takes about as much time as it does to rip open one of those packets. Almost.
TACO SEASONING:
1 Tablespoon chili powder
2 teaspoons onion powder
1 teaspoon each ground cumin, garlic powder, oregano, paprika, and sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
Mix all together. Brown ground beef in skillet, add 1/2 cup water and seasoning mix. Simmer for a few minutes until water has evaporated.
So, anyways, if you're interested, here is the recipe. It's simple and takes about as much time as it does to rip open one of those packets. Almost.
TACO SEASONING:
1 Tablespoon chili powder
2 teaspoons onion powder
1 teaspoon each ground cumin, garlic powder, oregano, paprika, and sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
Mix all together. Brown ground beef in skillet, add 1/2 cup water and seasoning mix. Simmer for a few minutes until water has evaporated.
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Rookie Mistake
Today I made a totally embarrassing rookie mistake on the bus.
Let me preface my story by giving you two VERY important tips about bus-riding if you are ever in San Francisco.
1. Hang on for dear life the SECOND you step onto the bus. I must stress that you should immediately grab onto the railing, the strap, another person, whatever. San Francisco bus drivers are either heavy on the gas, heavy on the brake, or both. Which means that if you are not holding onto something when they start or stop moving, you are going to fly around the inside of the bus, stumbling into other riders, falling into their laps, or just generally embarrassing yourself. (hint: spoiler about the ending of this story). You see tourists with this problem all the time. I feel like this is a purely San Francisco phenomenon - I don't remember needing to hold on for dear life while riding buses in either Seattle or Portland. But that could be because there were usually seats available, whereas here there are rarely seats available.
2. People HATE to move to the back of the bus for some reason. Which isn't a big deal until the bus starts to get crowded, then you have a HUGE plug of people at the front of the bus, and tons of space near the back. Most people like to stop right at the back door, which causes the plug at the front. Which, in a way, I can kind of understand, because when the bus gets super crowded and you are stuck at the very back, it's nearly impossible to fight your way to the front to get off at your stop in the 10 seconds the driver pauses to let you off. BUT, if you board the bus while there is still room to fight to the back - DO IT! You are much more likely to get some breathing room. If you get on while the plug has already formed, you're kind of SOL. Although I've seen people manage to somehow plow through the swarm of people and get back there.
So, unfortunately today, these two tips sort of got a little entangled for me. I got on the 5, heading downtown and immediately grabbed for the bar to hang onto (there are never seats on the 5 available until much later in the trip). It was relatively uncrowded and as we screamed away from my stop (the driver was a both hard-on-the-gas/hard-on-the-brake type) I noticed that there was plenty of room in the back of the bus. We screeched to a stop at a stop light and after recovering from the whiplash, I started to make my move to the back. Rookie mistake. Don't make ANY moves until you are sure that the bus will be stationary for enough time for you to get where you are headed, which I now realize means waiting until the bus has stopped to let people on. This guarantees you some time to move. I got too anxious, and I jumped the gun and I paid for it. A second after I started moving to the back (I had to let go of the rail to get around a few people), the light turned green, the driver STOMPED on the gas, and I went pitching into both a man and a woman headfirst, nearly bowling them over. With the velocity of the bus hurtling forward, I couldn't right myself right immediately, and ended up hanging onto the guy's shoulder for a few seconds longer than is really appropriate, and, mumbling "sorry" after "sorry", I finally stumbled into the place I was heading for and grabbed safely onto the rail, trying to ignore the numerous stink-eyes I was receiving from all directions. Oh, the shame. I'm a seasoned San Francisco bus-rider, I know the ropes, I know the tricks, I know the rules - how, oh how, could I make such a rookie mistake?
The only salve for my bleeding ego was that one stop later, a woman sitting in a seat right where I had moved to got up to get off, and I was in the perfect position to take over her seat. Was the shame of the stumble worth the comfort of the seat? I think the guy that I man-handled would answer, "No".
Let me preface my story by giving you two VERY important tips about bus-riding if you are ever in San Francisco.
1. Hang on for dear life the SECOND you step onto the bus. I must stress that you should immediately grab onto the railing, the strap, another person, whatever. San Francisco bus drivers are either heavy on the gas, heavy on the brake, or both. Which means that if you are not holding onto something when they start or stop moving, you are going to fly around the inside of the bus, stumbling into other riders, falling into their laps, or just generally embarrassing yourself. (hint: spoiler about the ending of this story). You see tourists with this problem all the time. I feel like this is a purely San Francisco phenomenon - I don't remember needing to hold on for dear life while riding buses in either Seattle or Portland. But that could be because there were usually seats available, whereas here there are rarely seats available.
2. People HATE to move to the back of the bus for some reason. Which isn't a big deal until the bus starts to get crowded, then you have a HUGE plug of people at the front of the bus, and tons of space near the back. Most people like to stop right at the back door, which causes the plug at the front. Which, in a way, I can kind of understand, because when the bus gets super crowded and you are stuck at the very back, it's nearly impossible to fight your way to the front to get off at your stop in the 10 seconds the driver pauses to let you off. BUT, if you board the bus while there is still room to fight to the back - DO IT! You are much more likely to get some breathing room. If you get on while the plug has already formed, you're kind of SOL. Although I've seen people manage to somehow plow through the swarm of people and get back there.
So, unfortunately today, these two tips sort of got a little entangled for me. I got on the 5, heading downtown and immediately grabbed for the bar to hang onto (there are never seats on the 5 available until much later in the trip). It was relatively uncrowded and as we screamed away from my stop (the driver was a both hard-on-the-gas/hard-on-the-brake type) I noticed that there was plenty of room in the back of the bus. We screeched to a stop at a stop light and after recovering from the whiplash, I started to make my move to the back. Rookie mistake. Don't make ANY moves until you are sure that the bus will be stationary for enough time for you to get where you are headed, which I now realize means waiting until the bus has stopped to let people on. This guarantees you some time to move. I got too anxious, and I jumped the gun and I paid for it. A second after I started moving to the back (I had to let go of the rail to get around a few people), the light turned green, the driver STOMPED on the gas, and I went pitching into both a man and a woman headfirst, nearly bowling them over. With the velocity of the bus hurtling forward, I couldn't right myself right immediately, and ended up hanging onto the guy's shoulder for a few seconds longer than is really appropriate, and, mumbling "sorry" after "sorry", I finally stumbled into the place I was heading for and grabbed safely onto the rail, trying to ignore the numerous stink-eyes I was receiving from all directions. Oh, the shame. I'm a seasoned San Francisco bus-rider, I know the ropes, I know the tricks, I know the rules - how, oh how, could I make such a rookie mistake?
The only salve for my bleeding ego was that one stop later, a woman sitting in a seat right where I had moved to got up to get off, and I was in the perfect position to take over her seat. Was the shame of the stumble worth the comfort of the seat? I think the guy that I man-handled would answer, "No".
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
What's in a name?
Even though I have nowhere near enough stuff made (jewelry, knitted things, etc.) to start up a store on Etsy, I thought it would be useful to start brainstorming for a great store name. Unfortunately, when it comes to thinking up stuff like that, I am useless. Powerless. My creativity in this department generates things like, "Stephanie's Designs", etc. So bad.
What to do? Well hello there, husband extraordinaire! Super-duper name-thinker-upper. I put Neil on the trail of a great name and lo and behold, not more than 24 hours after being put to the task, he came up with the perfect name!! The name of my store (if it ever comes to fruition) will be "Stitch n' Solder" or "Stitches and Solder" or "Stitch and Solder". Okay, so I don't have it completely figured out yet. Which one do you all like best? Whatever incarnation I decide to use, though, it's perfect, because it captures everything - any kind of knitting I decide to put up, and the jewelry as well (soldering is how you get pieces of metal to stick together, just in case you're not sure what that's all about). Previously, I thought I would have to have two separate stores, because the items for sale would be so different, but with a name that encompasses everything, why bother?
Thanks sweetie - I owe you big time for that one!! Chili/pizza/tacos/hamburgers on the menu all week? Will that serve as payment?
I have completed two doggy sweaters, one girl, one boy and need to build a light box so that I can take good pictures of them. Then I will show them to you. I'm pausing in my sweater knitting for a week, though, to make myself a hat because, Lord, it has been raining like crazy here this year and I am so tired of wet hair.
What to do? Well hello there, husband extraordinaire! Super-duper name-thinker-upper. I put Neil on the trail of a great name and lo and behold, not more than 24 hours after being put to the task, he came up with the perfect name!! The name of my store (if it ever comes to fruition) will be "Stitch n' Solder" or "Stitches and Solder" or "Stitch and Solder". Okay, so I don't have it completely figured out yet. Which one do you all like best? Whatever incarnation I decide to use, though, it's perfect, because it captures everything - any kind of knitting I decide to put up, and the jewelry as well (soldering is how you get pieces of metal to stick together, just in case you're not sure what that's all about). Previously, I thought I would have to have two separate stores, because the items for sale would be so different, but with a name that encompasses everything, why bother?
Thanks sweetie - I owe you big time for that one!! Chili/pizza/tacos/hamburgers on the menu all week? Will that serve as payment?
I have completed two doggy sweaters, one girl, one boy and need to build a light box so that I can take good pictures of them. Then I will show them to you. I'm pausing in my sweater knitting for a week, though, to make myself a hat because, Lord, it has been raining like crazy here this year and I am so tired of wet hair.
(An old sweater/wrap that I made for Lola years ago and just found over Christmas)
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Yummy goodness
I have two recipes that I want to share with you. They are SO delicious and I am so excited to have discovered them.
Recipe #1: Fish Tacos with Lime-Cilantro Crema
When Neil first saw the word "tacos" on the menu, he got very excited. Then he noticed the word "fish" in front of it and was visibly deflated. There may have even been some pouty lower-lip action. Neil is not shy about sharing his dissatifaction with some of my cooking experiments and he was positive this was going to be disgusting. And, I have to admit, I was a bit trepidatious about it myself. I don't usually think to myself, "fish tacos. Yum". So Neil usually makes up his mind before the food is made whether or not he is going to like something, and he rarely changes his mind. It's a little intimidating, actually, knowing that someone has decided not to like your food before you've even begun making it. However - HOWEVER - this recipe changed his mind. He liked it. In fact, when I put it on the menu this week, he looked at it, and there was no pouting, no lower lip - amazing! And that is because it is so YUMMY!
Fish Tacos with Lime-Cilantro Crema
from Cooking Light (Dec. 06 issue)
Cumin, coriander, and paprika lend these fish tacos a delightfully warm, smoky flavor. They're the perfect foundation for the zippy sour cream sauce. For an appealing variation, substitute peeled medium shrimp for the snapper or romaine in place of cabbage.
Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 2 tacos)
Ingredients
Crema:
1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
3 tablespoons fat-free mayonnaise
3 tablespoons reduced-fat sour cream
1 teaspoon grated lime rind
1 1/2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 garlic clove, minced
Tacos:
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1 1/2 pounds red snapper fillets
Cooking spray
8 (6-inch) corn tortillas
2 cups shredded cabbage
Preparation
Preheat oven to 425°.
To prepare crema, combine the first 8 ingredients in a small bowl; set aside.
To prepare tacos, combine cumin and next 5 ingredients (through garlic powder) in a small bowl; sprinkle spice mixture evenly over both sides of fish. Place fish on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Bake at 425° for 9 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork or until desired degree of doneness. Place fish in a bowl; break into pieces with a fork. Heat tortillas according to package directions. Divide fish evenly among tortillas; top each with 1/4 cup cabbage and 1 tablespoon crema.
Notes: I used Halibut the first time I made these, and then Petrale Sole the second time. They were both a really nice, meaty fish that flaked into nice big chunks. I also used lettuce instead of cabbage, and when I make any of the cooking light recipes, I disregard all of their fat-free mumbo-jumbo. I use full-fat mayonnaise and sour cream and then am easy on the portion size. It's not worth what you sacrifice in flavor for the small reduction in calories, in my opinion. Also, we used flour burrito-size tortillas. Don't skip the crema - this is what makes the entire recipe. It would still taste okay without it, but it's AMAZING when you add it! It would also probably make a great dip for raw veggies.
Anyways, I hope you love it. I couldn't wait for the next day so I could eat the leftovers for lunch!!
Recipe #2: Crunchy Buttermilk-Coconut Chicken Fingers
This was another recipe that I was nervous Neil would find something wrong with. Don't get me wrong, he loves the idea of chicken fingers, but these have coconut flakes and curry powder in them - two flavors that Neil is not so fond of. So, I just didn't mention to him that these ingredients were in there. And he didn't seem to notice - he just gobbled them up and made "mmm" sounds. The other really great thing about these is that they aren't fried. They are baked in the oven, and, because of the cornflakes, they come out FABULOUSLY crunchy. Oh my gosh they were so good, I could have eaten like Lola, without stopping, until my gut was watermelon sized. Please, please try these. You will be so happy.
Crunchy Buttermilk-Coconut Chicken Fingers
from Cooking Light magazine (April 08)
Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 5 chicken fingers)
Ingredients
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1 1/2 cups fat-free buttermilk
1/2 cup all-purpose flour (about 2 1/4 ounces)
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 large egg white, lightly beaten
3/4 cup crushed cornflakes
3/4 cup flaked sweetened coconut, chopped
1 teaspoon garlic powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
Cooking spray
Preparation
1. Cut chicken into 20 (1/4-inch-thick) strips. Combine chicken and buttermilk in a shallow dish; cover and chill 1 hour. Drain chicken, discarding liquid. Combine chicken and flour in a medium bowl, tossing to coat.
2. Preheat oven to 475°. Place baking sheet in oven.
3. Combine egg and egg white in a small bowl. Combine crushed cornflakes and next 5 ingredients (through ground red pepper) in a shallow dish.
4. Working with 1 chicken strip at a time, dip into egg mixture; dredge in cornflake mixture. Repeat procedure with remaining chicken, egg mixture, and cornflake mixture. Arrange chicken in a single layer on preheated baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Lightly coat chicken with cooking spray. Bake at 475° for 6 minutes or until done. Serve immediately.
Notes: I used one large chicken breast and it was enough for both Neil and I to happily stuff ourselves. I served them with home-fried potatoes and a green salad. One tip - don't toss the strips with flour in a bowl. Put the flour in a separate bowl and dip each individual strip into the flour to coat, then follow the remaining steps. If you toss them all together in the bowl, you get a huge, goopy, gluey mess. Not good. I cut back on the coconut flakes and probably only used 1/4 of a cup or so (that was all I had left). And I was nervous about the curry powder, so I probably only used 1/4 of a teaspoon of that. I made some homemade ranch and we dipped the strips and the potates in this. Oh, I'm drooling just typing this. Honestly.
BON APPETIT! (We watched Julie and Julia a few nights ago and Meryl Streep was just delightful. I wanted to be best friends with Julia Child after we watched it)
Recipe #1: Fish Tacos with Lime-Cilantro Crema
When Neil first saw the word "tacos" on the menu, he got very excited. Then he noticed the word "fish" in front of it and was visibly deflated. There may have even been some pouty lower-lip action. Neil is not shy about sharing his dissatifaction with some of my cooking experiments and he was positive this was going to be disgusting. And, I have to admit, I was a bit trepidatious about it myself. I don't usually think to myself, "fish tacos. Yum". So Neil usually makes up his mind before the food is made whether or not he is going to like something, and he rarely changes his mind. It's a little intimidating, actually, knowing that someone has decided not to like your food before you've even begun making it. However - HOWEVER - this recipe changed his mind. He liked it. In fact, when I put it on the menu this week, he looked at it, and there was no pouting, no lower lip - amazing! And that is because it is so YUMMY!
Fish Tacos with Lime-Cilantro Crema
from Cooking Light (Dec. 06 issue)
Cumin, coriander, and paprika lend these fish tacos a delightfully warm, smoky flavor. They're the perfect foundation for the zippy sour cream sauce. For an appealing variation, substitute peeled medium shrimp for the snapper or romaine in place of cabbage.
Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 2 tacos)
Ingredients
Crema:
1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
3 tablespoons fat-free mayonnaise
3 tablespoons reduced-fat sour cream
1 teaspoon grated lime rind
1 1/2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 garlic clove, minced
Tacos:
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1 1/2 pounds red snapper fillets
Cooking spray
8 (6-inch) corn tortillas
2 cups shredded cabbage
Preparation
Preheat oven to 425°.
To prepare crema, combine the first 8 ingredients in a small bowl; set aside.
To prepare tacos, combine cumin and next 5 ingredients (through garlic powder) in a small bowl; sprinkle spice mixture evenly over both sides of fish. Place fish on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Bake at 425° for 9 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork or until desired degree of doneness. Place fish in a bowl; break into pieces with a fork. Heat tortillas according to package directions. Divide fish evenly among tortillas; top each with 1/4 cup cabbage and 1 tablespoon crema.
Notes: I used Halibut the first time I made these, and then Petrale Sole the second time. They were both a really nice, meaty fish that flaked into nice big chunks. I also used lettuce instead of cabbage, and when I make any of the cooking light recipes, I disregard all of their fat-free mumbo-jumbo. I use full-fat mayonnaise and sour cream and then am easy on the portion size. It's not worth what you sacrifice in flavor for the small reduction in calories, in my opinion. Also, we used flour burrito-size tortillas. Don't skip the crema - this is what makes the entire recipe. It would still taste okay without it, but it's AMAZING when you add it! It would also probably make a great dip for raw veggies.
Anyways, I hope you love it. I couldn't wait for the next day so I could eat the leftovers for lunch!!
Recipe #2: Crunchy Buttermilk-Coconut Chicken Fingers
This was another recipe that I was nervous Neil would find something wrong with. Don't get me wrong, he loves the idea of chicken fingers, but these have coconut flakes and curry powder in them - two flavors that Neil is not so fond of. So, I just didn't mention to him that these ingredients were in there. And he didn't seem to notice - he just gobbled them up and made "mmm" sounds. The other really great thing about these is that they aren't fried. They are baked in the oven, and, because of the cornflakes, they come out FABULOUSLY crunchy. Oh my gosh they were so good, I could have eaten like Lola, without stopping, until my gut was watermelon sized. Please, please try these. You will be so happy.
Crunchy Buttermilk-Coconut Chicken Fingers
from Cooking Light magazine (April 08)
Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 5 chicken fingers)
Ingredients
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1 1/2 cups fat-free buttermilk
1/2 cup all-purpose flour (about 2 1/4 ounces)
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 large egg white, lightly beaten
3/4 cup crushed cornflakes
3/4 cup flaked sweetened coconut, chopped
1 teaspoon garlic powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
Cooking spray
Preparation
1. Cut chicken into 20 (1/4-inch-thick) strips. Combine chicken and buttermilk in a shallow dish; cover and chill 1 hour. Drain chicken, discarding liquid. Combine chicken and flour in a medium bowl, tossing to coat.
2. Preheat oven to 475°. Place baking sheet in oven.
3. Combine egg and egg white in a small bowl. Combine crushed cornflakes and next 5 ingredients (through ground red pepper) in a shallow dish.
4. Working with 1 chicken strip at a time, dip into egg mixture; dredge in cornflake mixture. Repeat procedure with remaining chicken, egg mixture, and cornflake mixture. Arrange chicken in a single layer on preheated baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Lightly coat chicken with cooking spray. Bake at 475° for 6 minutes or until done. Serve immediately.
Notes: I used one large chicken breast and it was enough for both Neil and I to happily stuff ourselves. I served them with home-fried potatoes and a green salad. One tip - don't toss the strips with flour in a bowl. Put the flour in a separate bowl and dip each individual strip into the flour to coat, then follow the remaining steps. If you toss them all together in the bowl, you get a huge, goopy, gluey mess. Not good. I cut back on the coconut flakes and probably only used 1/4 of a cup or so (that was all I had left). And I was nervous about the curry powder, so I probably only used 1/4 of a teaspoon of that. I made some homemade ranch and we dipped the strips and the potates in this. Oh, I'm drooling just typing this. Honestly.
BON APPETIT! (We watched Julie and Julia a few nights ago and Meryl Streep was just delightful. I wanted to be best friends with Julia Child after we watched it)
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Warmth
I've been totally distracted lately by the idea of traveling to somewhere warm and tropical. I know, I know - I spent all last year moaning and bitching about the beautiful weather down here - "Why doesn't it ever rain? I could really use a good rain...blah, blah, blah". And now it's raining and all I can think about is getting to somewhere warmer. Maybe that's part of the joy of the rain, is the dream of a tropical vacation? I never dream of going to Hawaii in the summertime...
I've lived in places with rainy, drippy, cloudy, foggy, damp winters my whole life and never, ever have I been interested in traveling to Mexico until this year, for some reason. I'm not sure why Mexico has never interested me - I've always just felt that I would rather go to Hawaii or the Carribean or Tahiti or something if I was going to a beach-place. I feel almost desperate to get to a beach. The last few days I've spent endlessly searching the internet, browsing through sun-drenched locations in Hawaii, the Carribean and I finally even started to dream about Mexico, because of the lower airfares. Alas, no one is willing to sell me a $50 airline ticket to anywhere and no one is willing to let me stay free in their all-inclusive paradise hotel. And I've resigned myself to the fact that the only beach in my future is going to be somewhere along the coast of Northern California. Where I will be bundled up in a parka and long underwear. *Sigh*
Neil finally returned to school a couple of weeks ago and we've been getting slowly getting back into the normal routine. I've added a few things to my routine in a nod to the whole New year resolution thing. I've started an exercise regimen called P90X which has been pretty hard core so far, but has made me feel REALLY good. It feels good to treat my body right again. And I have two "business" ventures in the works. I use the term business very very loosely, but my goal is to have enough pieces of jewelry in inventory by March/April to set up an Etsy site and start selling them. I am also planning to do the same thing with my knitting. I'm going to focus on knitting dog sweaters because good, cute ones are kind of hard to find and in my browsing through Etsy, it seems that this is kind of an undiscovered niche. Maybe there's a reason for that, we'll see. I have one finished that fit Swarley perfectly (he hated it of course) and I'm in the process of making one that will fit Lola (so slightly bigger size small). There will be pictures to come, of course. I think I will stick to small sizes, however, because people usually don't dress their Labs and Mastiffs up in sweaters. It's more of a small dog kind of thing. And I just don't have the patience to knit each sweater in a full range of sizes. I get bored doing the same pattern over and over. So this takes up most of my evenings now, and it doesn't seem to bother me quite as much that Neil isn't coming home until late again.
Speaking of the dogs, they are doing well - losing more weight every day. In fact, I think Lola is the slimmest she has been since we got her. Unfortunately, the other night, she took a huge step back on the weight-loss when she and Swarley got into a container of chocolate chip cookies. They ate the whole thing and there was probably a good 9-12 cookies in there. She was HUGE!! I walked in the apartment without knowing what happened and the first thing I asked Neil was, "Why is she so fat?" Our little binge-eater. She was a lot closer to looking like this after the cookies:
We are planning a trip down to Big Sur over President's Day weekend to visit Hearst Castle. The one perk of working at the CA State Parks Foundation - free passes into the Castle!! We're planning on camping so keep your fingers crossed that weather will hold. February last year was warm and sunny so I figured it would be safe to consider camping, but the rain has been non-stop this year. I have us booked in a hotel and campground, just to be safe, and we can cancel whichever one we don't need. I would prefer to camp, because this is the campground:
Yes, that is indeed right on a cliff overlooking the beautiful Pacific Ocean. We drove through this campground last February (and it was beautiful and sunny of course) and have been meaning to come back and actually camp here ever since then.
Not quite the beach I had in mind, but it is going to have to do.
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