Ice Tea For Me

season's eatings - a gift of spice

2011-12-29T09:20:00.010-07:00

I'm sorry it's been a very VERY long time since my last post. I wish I could say I was on a trip around the world or kidnapped by some tall, dark, and handsome man who whisked me away to a deserted island and have been drinking those fruity drimks with my toes in the warm sand, but alas, it's not true. I guess I've been lazy.

I'm posting from Italy, I zipped over here to spend Christmas in Rome and a time in the lovely little town of Spoleto. Have been having a wonderful time.

For a second time I've participated in a food/spice exchange called Season's Eatings that Katie over at Thyme for Cooking puts together every year. Thank you Katie!! Katie's blog is about cooking good healthly food with fresh seasonal ingredients that your family will eat and love. She's made a believer out of me in making your own salad dressings, it's so easy that why would you spend all that money on bottled dressing and all those preservatives ? Katie also blogs on renovating a house in France along with all the trials and tribulations that go with that and also has 2 adorable puppies that she's training which leads to some fun times in her household. Check out her blog here.

My Season's Eatings package arrived in a box with festive red duct tape on the outside - Love it! It came from Christina from Georgia. Christina blogs at Mele Cotte and has a lot of yummy mouthwatering posts for you to check out. Her latest post is how to make Mulling Mix. Though the holidays are coming to a close our weather is still cold and some good mulled spice wine/cider hits the spot.

I received from Christtina a cute card and gift bag and a lovely glass jar full of bay leaves. I've been thinking about seeing whether a bay tree will grow in Arizona or not so funny that bay leaves would be my gift.

Since I rushed over to Italy I did not have time to make anything with my bay leaves but reast assurd there is a soup or stew in my near future. With the temperature at 7C/45F I'm ready for some warm comfort food.

Thank you Christina for the wonderful bay leaves, I will certainly enjoy cooking with them.

Buon Natale/Merry Christmas to everyone.

a budding artist

2010-06-15T13:49:00.003-07:00

The other day I went with a group of ladies I work with and we spent some time in a ceramic place where you buy the pottery, slap on several coats of paint not knowing what the final color will be, come back in a few days and it's all fired and glazed to perfection.

Artistic I am not but on occasion I create something that isn't hideous that I would actually serve food on it in front of people. I don't see this turning into a paying job but it is fun.

nuovo anno felice

2010-01-01T00:05:00.001-07:00

Happy New Year!!

May you and your family have God's Blessings for a happy and healthy new year.

Thank you for making Ice Tea For Me one of your blog stops. With millions to choose from I'm much humbled.

Here's to Happy Travels, Good Eats, and Cherished Friends. I hope this year I get to meet more of my fellow bloggers. In 2009 I met:

Diana @ Creative Structures - Acqui Terme, Italy ~ May

Diane @ Under an Olive Tree - Veroli, Frosinone, Italy ~ June

Two wonderful ladies who opened their hearts and homes ~ Gazie Mille.

Linda

PS - If you find yourself in the sunny southwest, give me a shout.

san diego, california

2009-12-30T11:10:00.001-07:00

It’s only obvious that I’ve not posted much this year (no comments from you Tammie), and for that I’m sorry. I’d like to say I’ll do better in 2010 and even make it a new year’s resolution but I won’t go that far to commit myself so I can add more guilt on me. Let’s just say I’m hoping to post more in 2010 and leave it at that.

This past Labor Day my mother and I took a long weekend and zipped over to lovely San Diego, California for a little rest, relaxation, and good food. It had been 12 years since I’d been there and I think longer for my mom, so it was going to be fun exploring all the wonderful sights again.

Mom was flying in from Northern California and me from Phoenix, Arizona. We arrived at about the same and thought we'd meet up at our gates as we assumed since we were flying the same airlines that the gates would be close to each other. First mistake, we assumed. Mom flew into the main terminal and I flew into the small annex since my connecting flight was from Los Angeles and was a puddle jumper. Mom connected in San Francisco so she was flying a larger plane.

After figuring out we were at different terminals and that one needed to take a 2 minutes shuttle bus to the other I called mom’s cell phone and left her a message. Assuming technology would work, oops there’s that word ‘assume’ again, I hopped on the next shuttle bus on my way to the main terminal. Seconds after the doors closed and we were on our way my cell phone rang and it was mom saying she’s on her way to the annex terminal I flew into. WHAT!! I laughed and said I was on the bus too on my way to her. Too funny. I told her to stay on the bus and come back to the main terminal where I waited for her. Was this an omen of how our weekend would go, I sure hope not.

We took a taxi to The Bristol Hotel were we had gotten a smokin’ deal for a room close to the gaslamp quarter. We arrived on a Friday morning and were leaving on Monday afternoon so we had a lot to see and not much time. Once we checked into our room we decided to hop on a ferry over to Coronado Island for lunch, beach, and revisit Hotel Del Coronado or The Del as locals call it. As a family we stayed at The Del about 35 years earlier and wanted to see if it had changed.

The ferry ride over was really nice and relaxing. When we landed out first priority was to eat as we’d both had early flights and were ready for lunch. We had a hard time deciding where to eat but we took a locals recommendation and went to a pub. I wish I could remember the name. We had a map and it looked like it was a short walk to get to the pub. Oh how maps can be deceiving. The blocks were quite long and we had 3-4 to walk. I also must mention that the weather was lovely, actually a little on the warm side as we’d dressed thinking it was going to be cool being that we were on the ocean. So being hungry, hot and a wee bit cranky we finally found the pub after what seemed like forever.

Coronado Bridge from Ferry Landing @ Coronado Island

We both had nachos and gallons of ice tea and looked at the map to chart our course for the day. We had thought of renting those pedal bikes, I thought it would be fun and easy to scurry around the island. Boy, am I glad we didn’t as a friend told me that their family (4-2 adults, 2 teenagers) found it exhausting to use the bikes. My mom is a young 75 and I 48 probably would have been able to move this bike a 100 yards before giving up. Can’t you just see that? Anyway, we decided to call a taxi to pick us up at the pub, drive us around the quaint homes on the island and deposit us at Hotel Del Coronado to relax on the beach. This was a smart move.

The homes weren’t as quaint as I remember them but 30+ years will do it to a memory. The Del was exactly as it was 30+ years ago, nothing had changed. The dark wood paneling, furniture, and the lovely gardens. It was nice to see it again but it had the musty smell of being old and the wood stair railings had a tacky feel, you know when it’s been cleaned so much with product. All that just reminded you of how old it really was.

Gardens at Hotel Del Coronado

Mom at Hotel Del Coronado Gardens

We made our way down to the beach, rolled up our pant legs and waded in ocean. It was very soothing after a busy morning. By that time we were pretty exhausted and wished we’d had some beach chairs to sit in and wiggle our toes in the water…. Next time.

Mom on Beach in Front of Hotel Del Coronado

We figured out the local bus system and took that back to the ferry for our trip across the bay. It was after 5pm and our walk back to the hotel seemed awfully long (it was 4-5 long blocks) that by the time we got to our room we were exhausted and tired. We relaxed and both read our books. By the time our stomachs told us it was time for food we were still so tired that we made our way down to the restaurant of the hotel and had a lovely meal.

On Saturday we took the tram to Little Italy and enjoyed the street market that was spread out over 3-4 blocks. They were selling everything from vegetables and fruit, herbal/organic items, meats, cheese, pasta, gelato, clothing, tablecloths, etc., etc. Oh, there was so much we wanted to buy but because we were flying with carry on only we had to be good. I’ve looked for tomato paste in a tube here in Chandler, Arizona but couldn’t find any, even at Trader Joe’s. I somehow forgot to pick some up when I was in Italy last June. I found what I was looking for at an Italian pizza/grocery store. I only bought one tube as I thought it may be confiscated at airport security as it was more than 3.4 ounces and didn’t fit in my 1 quart size baggie.

Little Italy

We had lunch and then walked around the streets. What I loved about the area is the chairs all along the sidewalk that you can sit and rest whenever you want. We stopped and enjoyed a yummy gelato. We zipped over to Horton Plaza on our way home from Little Italy but neither of us were in a shopping mood so we wandered around and then walked back to our hotel.

Mom Eating Gelato in Courtyard

Late afternoon we took the tram over to Seaport Village were we walked around looking into the little shops, down the little pier, and then had to make the hard decision of where to eat. We chose the Edgewater Grill overlooking the bay. They had reggae music playing outside and we took a seat in the corner on the patio and sat down for a lovely relaxing dinner. We both decided on a margarita, on the rocks, no salt. A great way to start out any meal I say. We shared a salad which was good but can’t remember what it was. It was a specialty salad that I remember had balsamic reduction dressing, nuts of some kind and was tasty, can’t remember anything else. For dinner mom chose seafood fettuccine and I the grilled pork chops.

Seaport Village

Both our dishes were fantastic. I hesitated in ordering the chops as this was a touristy area and pictures two thin over cooked pork chops on the bone, dry and overdone didn't appeal to me. Obviously I have an overactive imagination. Our server recommended the pork chop saying it was his favorite on the menu. I tend to go with their suggestions as they do work there after all and if I was steered in the wrong direction would reflect poorly on them and their tip. Let me just tell you this pork chop was cooked to perfection. I’m not a raw or undercooked kinda gal and this chop was done and moist, the chef knew what he was doing. This one large thick chop was served with a sherry demi-glaze over garlic mashed potatoes and asparagus. To die for, I licked the plate when no one was looking. My mom too enjoyed her pasta dish.

Towards the end of our meal we were treated to a firework show from the middle of the bay. It was very nice, a great way to end the evening. We made our way back to the hotel where we played some cards, read a little, and then retired for the evening.

On Sunday we took the bus to Birch Aquarium which is North of La Jolla and about an hour bus ride. The person I spoke with at the aquarium said the bus stops at the aquarium, which I assumed was at its front door. Please note the word ‘assume’ again. We had a relaxing bus ride (we didn’t rent a car) and were let off at the intersection/entrance to the aquarium. The driver pointed down the road for us to get to the aquarium. We aren’t averse to walking so off we went, it was another lovely day in San Diego albeit warmer then what we’d like. We walked down hill, and then of course walked up hill and we wondered just how far the aquarium was. Thank goodness it was mostly down hill. We had water with us but all I could think about was we needed to walk back up the hill to catch the return bus home. Aargh. We finally made it to the entrance of the aquarium and of course picked the line (in the sun, no shade) that the lovely young gal at the ticket booth couldn’t quite figure out that you take the money, give the tickets and move the line on its merry way. We ended up having a lovely conversation with two ladies in front of us which turned out to have some advantages, one of them was we got one ticket free.

The Birch Aquarium is really neat. It was Labor Day weekend so it was crowded but I assume it typically is on weekends. Once you get past the crying, runny nose ankle biters whose parents can’t or won’t control them you see all these amazing creatures of the sea. Pretty cool stuff. After our long trek and the slow stroll through the aquarium my feet were killing me. I was wearing the sandals I wore in Europe last May/June but I don’t remember them hurting so badly. My mom and I were both not looking forward to the trek up the hill to catch the bus so we (really it was mom that asked, I tend not to do this) asked the ladies that we chatted with in the ticket line if they would mind giving us a lift to the top of the hill. They were happy to, whew; we figured it was a good mile or so from intersection to entrance.

We caught our bus and hoped off in La Jolla for a little lunch which again we were both starving after all the walking we’d done. We ended up eating at a Mexican place right on the strip which had good margaritas and chips and salsa, but frankly the food was just so/so. Over priced and okay. We made our way back to the bus stop, hopped on the next bus back to our hotel. It was a good day, long but good.

That night we went to the Gaslamp Quarter. I’d never been there and had heard great things about it. Boy, were the sidewalks packed with people of all states of dress/undress and sober/intoxication that it was like herds of cattle slowly moving down the street with restaurants handing out coupons to get you to eat at their place. This definitely is a touristy place but it seemed like quite a few locals were there as well, which frankly surprised me. After 10 minutes of the crowds I was done. We strolled all the way down one side and up the other and since we weren’t hungry, as we had a late lunch, we stopped at the Ghirardelli ice cream store and both had sundaes of various kinds. We walked the couple of blocks back to our hotel and called it a night.

Our weekend was coming to a close; all that was left was Monday morning before we both got back on planes to home. Monday morning we got packed and then left to go find a late breakfast before we checked out of our hotel. Se stumbled across this lovely little bistro called, St. Tropez Bakery & Bistro. Quaint little French place. We enjoyed a leisurely breakfast and strolled around as we knew we’d be sitting in a plane much of the day.

We played some cards while I waited for my departure then mom bused over to her terminal to wait for her plane. It was a great weekend with lots of sun, good food, and quality time with mom. We both decided if we were to do it again we’d get a hotel by the beach, buy beach chairs and umbrellas when we arrived and plant our bums in the sand. I guess we’d done our fair share of walking this trip.

I certainly hope it doesn’t take me 12 years to get back to San Diego; it’s a lovely town with lots to do.

So mom, where are we off to next?

season's eating's - butter tarts

2009-12-29T09:48:00.009-07:00

For several years at Katie’s Thyme for Cooking blog she’s done a Season’s Eating's blog foodie gift exchange. I read about this last year on several blogs I visit and that is how I found Thyme for Cooking. I just love how one finds great blogs through other blog sites. This year I decided to partake in the Season’s Eating's event. Katie’s blog is great as she posts a food recipe everyday and also shares her experiences of living and renovating a home in France.

The concept of the Season’s Eating's food exchange is for you to send to the person that was randomly picked some spice or items that are regional to where you live along with a recipe that they can be used in. When you receive your ‘gifts’ of pleasure you blog about it along with pictures. How fun it that?? The person I sent items from Arizona to lives in Paris, France. I’m not sure if they received them before Christmas but hopefully they received them. I’ll blog about what I sent and to whom when I get word the package has been received.

I received my package from Jerry of Jerry’s Thoughts, Musings, and Rants. Jerry is from Burlington, Ontario Canada and I received from him some yummy maple syrup, pure maple sugar leafs, raincoast crisps, and a homemade jar of Raspberry Chambord Jam.

Jerry included with these tasty items a recipe for butter tarts. I’ve never had butter tarts before but the recipe was very easy. He even gets the mini tart shells at the grocery store in the freezer section. Now that’s my idea of quick and easy. So in my holiday shopping I put tart shells on my list of items to pick up. Now let me first tell you that here in the big metropolitan area that I live in you can pretty much find anything and everything you ever wanted, so frozen tart shells are a no brainer to me. HA, was I in for a surprise. I went to 4-5 stores looking for these tart shells but to no avail, is Chandler, Arizona residents not tart eaters or are they such great bakers that they make their own dough?? I must confess I did buy pre-made ready-to-use pie crusts but in the end decided to go homemade all the way.

Anyway, after futile attempts to find these tart shells I stopped at my local Sur La Table (one of my favorite stores) and purchased 6 cute little tart pans. I found a recipe for an easy tart dough recipe at epicurious.com and away I baked. Dough made and in the refrigerator resting for an hour. As I started rolling out the dough I realized that the rolling pin I have is old, wimpy, and I believe I’m in need of a grown-up rolling pin. One of those that doesn’t spin around a center rod but is a solid tapered wood stick that you spin the dough around to come up with a perfect circle for your pie crust. One like I see all those on the cooking shows use. I managed with my wimpy rolling pin to roll out the lovely dough for the tarts, found a Tupperware container the perfect size to cut the dough with enough clearance for the sides of the tart and proceeded to roll, cut, gently press, and cut off the excess dough from the tart. Note: Jerry said the recipe makes 2 dozen tarts but I spit the recipe in half and made 6 tarts. I don’t know if I filled the shells too full or my tart tins are bigger then the pre-made shells.

I’m not the best baker and did find my nails got in the way as I was gently pressing the dough into the tart pan. A tart or two may have had a nail indentation but the filling covered it up. Whew!!

The filling was super easy to mix together and you just fill up the tart 2/3 full and put in the oven. Jerry mentioned he won’t eat a butter tart without raisins but I didn’t have any and was not going to the store again so I put slivered almonds in some and left the others plan. Since it’s just me at home I decided to only make ½ a recipe as I knew I’d eat all of them and had already consumed enough yummy sweets that I’ve not stepped on the scale for days and that may turn into weeks. Half the recipe made 6 tarts and they came out beautifully, don’t you think? I posted the recipes below.

It’s funny that Jerry had me to send gifts to as I’ve been reading Jerry’s blog for years now, we both frequent the website Slow Travel, and I met Jerry at the Palm Desert GTG in 2007. I tried many a recipe from Jerry’s blog and I appreciate him taking the time to post them.

Thanks Jerry for the wonderful products from Canada and a new favorite of mine, Butter Tarts. Stop by Jerry’s Thoughts, Musings, and Rants, you'll enjoy his postings, pictures, and recipes.

Thank you Katie for taking the time to do Season’s Eating's. Stop by Thyme for Cooking and check out Katie's blog.

Butter Tarts
2 eggs
1 cup of brown sugar
1 cup of REAL maple syrup
4 Tbl. of butter, melted
1 tsp. vanilla

Mix all ingredients together in a mixing bowl; beat until the thickness of cream. Fill each tart 2/3 full. Makes 2 dozen tarts.

Note: Raisins and nuts can be added.

Easy Tart Crust
www.epicurious.com
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp. coarse kosher salt
1 ½ sticks of unsalted butter – chilled & cut into ½ inch cubes
1 Tbs. (or more) ice water
2 Tbs. whipping cream – chilled

Blend flour and salt in food processor. Add butter while pulsing until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add 3 tablespoons of ice water and cream. Process just until moist clumps form adding more ice water by teaspoonfuls if dough is dry. Gather dough into a ball; flatten into a disk. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for 1 hour. Soften slightly at room temperature before rolling out.

(can make dough 2 days ahead and keep in frig.)

swine flu paranoia...

2009-09-17T12:11:00.004-07:00

I thought this was just too cute not to post.

If you think I'm not taking the swine flu seriously may I just remind everyone that the most important preventative for not getting the flu is to Wash Your Hands!!

photo credit - unknown

a gift that keeps on giving

2009-08-13T06:21:00.001-07:00

Several months back on my birthday I received a lovely gift card for Starbuck's. Yes, I love my carmel macchiato's (non-fat, sugar-free, stirred, extra hot) and I like to sip it while working at my desk throughout the morning. I can usually make it last for a while. If it gets cold I just go nuk it. I know I've posted about my 'coffee' before.

What's nice about gift cards is it's a gift that keeps on giving. I still have anther 5 drinks to go on this card which should take me into September. Wahoo!! Thanks Mom & Dad.

In an attempt to cut calories/$$ I would only get my Starbuck's once a week. It would be on Wednesday's as I had a 2-hr. staff meeting in the morning that I'd take it to, a sort of justification that I needed it to 'make it' through that meeting. Yeah, like I needed any justification. Well, the meeting was moved to the afternoon so my justification went out the window. And to be honest the cashier at the one I stop at, Fred, moved with his wife up to Seattle to be closer to family. Bummer, he was a nice guy, a lot older than most of the 20 something's that tend to work there.

I'd still swing by every now and then but it's not on a weekly basis and it's not the same, a lot of new faces.

This leads me to a question:

Did I stop at Starbuck's on a weekly basis to have the coffee or the interaction with Fred?

Readers, do you find yourself frequenting establishments because they remember the drink you like a product they keep in stock for you ~ the personal interaction? Or do you go because of location, price, and convenience?

it arrived

2009-08-12T11:03:00.007-07:00

If you remember a couple of posts back (here) I mentioned I had won a Travelers Guidebook of Calabria in a contest that Michelle at Bleeding Espresso had on her site.

It arrived, isn't it pretty?

I'm looking forward to reading all about the Calabria region. This is the first time I've seen a Traveler's guidebook and I can't wait to start reading it.

Thank you Michelle for the book!!

chocolate zucchini cake

2009-08-10T12:44:00.005-07:00

I had a craving for something sweet and chocolately and had some zucchini in the frig that needed to be used. Barb over at Art and Barb Live in Italy posted this recipe and I decided to give it a try.

It turned out delicious, very most. I tried both her suggestions for toppings but used walnuts instead of hazelnuts. You can't go wrong with this cake. Starting my diet tomorrow.

Here's Barb's recipe:

Chocolate Zucchini Cake

2 1/4 cups sifted all purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt1
3/4 cups sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 cups grated unpeeled zucchini (about 2 1/2 medium)

Topping1
cup semisweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup chopped walnuts

Topping 2
40 g light brown sugar mixed with 1/2 Cup (70 g) hazelnuts, toasted and chopped).

Preheat oven to 325°F. Butter and flour 13 x 9 x 2” baking pan.Sift flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt into medium bowl.Beat sugar, butter and oil in large bowl until well blended. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla extract.Mix in dry ingredients alternately with buttermilk in 3 additions each. Mix in grated zucchini. Pour batter into prepared pan. Sprinkle chocolate chips and nuts over.Bake cake until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 50 minutes. Cool cake completely in pan. Serves 12.

it happened

2009-08-04T17:19:00.002-07:00

Several weeks’ back Michelle @ Bleeding Espresso had a contest to win a new guidebook that was coming out of the region she lives in Italy, Calabria called Traveler’s Calabria.

I’ve not made it that far South to Calabria in my trips to Italy but someday I will get there and finally meet Michelle and hopefully Cherrye @ My Bella Vita.

It’s always fun entering contests as you just never know, you may win. What entering into contests on blogs has done for me is take me to a variety of blog sites that I may never have found through my normal blog reads. Michelle’s always good at either having contests on her site or putting links in her blog to other bloggers that are having them. You rock Michelle!!

I’m happy to announce that I received an email from Michelle letting me know I was one of the lucky 5 people to win a Travelers Calabria guidebook. Yahoo!! Can’t wait for it to arrive and read about Calabria.

Thanks Michelle!!

************************

On another note, I know I’ve been absent for too long and I promise I will be posting about my Italy trip really soon. Need to capture those memories before I forget. I appreciate you not giving up and coming back to check my blog from time to time.

italia - i made it

2009-05-22T01:37:00.002-07:00

-9 months of planning

-endless hours of emails

-some sleeples nights

-on Italian soil - priceless

Yes, I'm finally walking on Italian soil, enjoying the caffe and food. It was a bit crazy the last week prior to my flying out but I'm here. I haven' journaled or blogged as I had thought I would but things haven't come as easily as they have in my past travels to Italy.

Italy cell phone not working - needed to get a new cell number, TM store closed, then my passport wouldn't work so had to use my moms and finally after too much time my phone isn't getting service where I am in Acqui Terme. Aargh.

Brought a netbook with me to email, blog, etc. and have yet to figure out the wirless feature. This is purely a user issue and then finding a WiFi link. Have found some Internet cafes so working through them.

banking - didn't get to take care of this before I left but have done it online in the past trips. Well my back has put more security features into their system and doing banking from Europe has been challenging at best. Thank goodness for my wonder sister Tammie and my son Trevor, they've bailed me out.

Will write more and post pictures hopefull really soon.

Ciao,

Linda

let me introduce myself

2009-04-28T14:11:00.005-07:00

Yes, I’m the owner of this blog and take full credit for its lack of postings of late. I know I haven’t posted for a while as my sister reminds me on a regular basis, but I’ve been really busy at home and work life and this has taken a sad back seat but it has not been forgotten. I’ve not even had time to keep up with the blogs I normally read and this has got to stop. Right Now!!

I’m not sure I even have any readers left but on the sheer luck that someone accidentally lands on this blog and reads it other than my sister Tammie then let me be the first to say – Welcome.

So what’s kept me busy you ask? I’ll just make you a list because I’m good at doing that, here it goes:

Women’s ministry – I co-lead the women’s ministry at church which entails meetings, etc. that need to be attended and emails to be answered.

Women’s retreat - I was on the planning team which means regular meetings and a lot of emails not to mention I was in charge of taking care of the craft at the retreat. The craft was decorating with pretty paper a composition book so they could use it as a journal. The journals turned out great and the retreat was awesome.

Bible Study – Every Tuesday night I have the pleasure of having 6 wonderful people over at my house to do a more in-depth study of the bible. These people are like my family and I love being with them. Having it at my house means I know my house will be cleaned or at a minimum the clutter picked up at least once a week.

X GAMES @ work – with less than a 4-week notice I put together a competition with my group of 160+ at work where they split up in 8 teams, each team had a captain, team color, etc. We had 8 games for these teams to compete against each other and also arranged the catering. We had our X GAMES last Friday and it turned out great. Everyone had a wonderful time and can’t wait for the next one…. Next year thank you very much!

Vacation – did I mention I was going on vacation to Europe for 4 weeks along with my parents and am planning the whole trip myself? Oh, yes indeedy I’m planning everything from plane, train, and automobile reservations, B&B & hotel accommodations, tours, where we’re going, etc. It’s a good thing I like doing this. I will go into more detail in a later post but let me just say the first 3 weeks are planned and a done deal but the last week in Italy I still need to figure out where I want to go, sans the parents.

House – there seems to be a lot of things inside and outside that needs to be taken care of. I used to tackle these things on my own by now after many years of do-it-yourself I really have no interest in it. That’s where my lovely son comes in and helps… when I see him which frankly isn’t often enough. I have the front yard landscaping that needs to be redone thanks to the vermin I wrote about in previous posts but I really don’t want to do this until after I return from vacation. I also like to make sure my house is clean before leaving on a trip so it’s clean when I return, that means washing windows, exterior of the wood cabinets, baseboards, etc. I’ve also given myself a goal to have most of the boxes emptied and out of my garage before I leave. Thankfully I do have someone staying at my house while I’ll be away so I don’t have to worry about what to do with my cat Oreo.

So if that isn’t enough to keep me busy what do I do to myself but add one more HUGE commitment to add to the list and stress me out…

Italian Class – I signed up for a Beginning Italian class so in hopes that I may learn some more tidbits before heading off to Italy. The only problem is that this isn’t my first Italian class so I’m well aware how difficult it is learn all those irregular verbs, tenses, masculine, feminine. There’s a lot of studying that needs to be put to this. Well I started off great but couldn’t keep up with the homework with everything else I was doing so I finally let go of the stress and told my instructor Davide that I won’t be able to keep up so ‘don’t’ call on me in class but I will contribute where I can and that I will still attend. This removed a lot of stress I was putting on myself and I am learning though not at the pace of the others in class. Fortunately it’s a small class. I definitely will be able to read a lot better than the last time I was in Italia.

So dear readers that is what I’ve been up to. Nothing exciting or earth shattering, just my life. I hope to keep my posts shorter so maybe I’ll post more often and don’t think Ive forgotten that I haven’t finished posting about my home remodel, I do promise that is coming.

I have purchased technology so that I hope to blog while I’m on vacation or if nothing else journal so I can post at a later date. Thanks for hanging in there with me.

Linda

PS ~ Gail of ‘Gail – Fort Rock Glimpses’ received her package of Arizona products she won in my blogiverisary/100th post contest. Stop by her site and see all the yummy goodies I sent her.

Editors Note: Site Counter just hit 1,000 visits, so someone's stopping by my blog whether it's on accident or purpose. Yahoo!!

and the winner is...

2009-03-01T10:02:00.000-07:00

Thank you to everyone who entered into the drawing celebrating my 1st blogiversary and 100th post.

As previously mentioned, picking the winner was going to be done the ole fashion way. I printed out the names, cut them into pieces, folded them, and put them into a Tupperware container. I’d show you a picture but my camera died last week so no photo. I then mixed up the names really well and pulled out a piece of paper.

I’d like to congratulate Gail – Fort Rock Glimpses on winning goodies from the sunny Southwest.

This was really fun and will look for other opportunities to have a drawing. Who doesn’t like to win something?

the vermin is gone

2009-02-27T15:34:00.003-07:00

If you read in my November 10th post here I had an unwelcome visitor in my front yard, i.e., a gopher. From this point on the said gopher will be called ‘vermin’ as gopher sounds too nice and cute for what this creature is.

WARNING: Before I continue I must warn you that there will be pictures at the end of this post that if you get squeamish over dead things you might not want to proceed past a certain point. I will put up another warning with plenty of notice.

Like I said in November I had an unwelcome visit from a vermin. I did not know what to do as everything I heard there isn’t much that will kill these ba@t#$d’s (excuse my French; I’ve never hated something so fiercely in my life). I didn’t know what I should do.

Besides the tell tale signs of mounds it was quite evident I had something lurking under the lawn as the neighborhood stray cat would come sit and listen to the noise the vermin were making and would pounce and attack. Bless the heart of this cat, so patient and diligent but to no avail.

One day as I was sitting at my kitchen table enjoying a caffe’ mocha I saw dirt fly up out of a mound. Not only that but the little vermin was also taunting me by actually coming out of the hole a bit so I could see it. I swear it looked me straight in the eye and snickered. The audacity!!

Well not to be out done by a 4-6” rodent I put on my shoes grabbed the shovel, gloves, plastic bag, and my camera (couldn’t miss an opportunity to capture this event) and went-a-huntin’. I took the garden hose rammed it down the freshly dug hole and turned the water on full blast and waited….

going huntin' tools: shovel, gloves, & hose

Since I knew these vermin feel vibration I had my shovel in hand standing by the flooding area and stood very still. I can’t even imagine what people thought as they drove by when they saw this middle aged women in her yard with a shovel in the attack mode standing as still as a statue. But I didn’t care. I was on a mission. There I stood staring at the ground waiting for a sign. Low and behold within a minute or two I saw a piece of grass twitch. Hmmm, very interesting, was my sight playing tricks on me?? Motionless I waited. Again more ground movement and then hello, a head poked out. I jumped into action and pushed the shovel behind the said vermin and scooped out a big chunk of dirt onto the lawn. Without going into gory details the vermin took its last breath.

After pictures were taken, dirt put back in place, and hose put away I somewhat remember doing a little happy dance in my front yard. I was so happy the vermin was dead. Life can now get back to normal, or so I thought.

And then there were two….

Little did I know as I was doing the happy dance there was a bigger wiser vermin under my lawn rolling around in all the tunnels it had made laughing its tail off… at me.

As the days passed after I extinguished the vermin I bragged how on my first attempt I had gotten rid of it to everyone I came across. I was so happy to be done with it. Then four days later it appeared, another mound. Words can’t express how I felt (well there are words but they are not nice ones), I couldn’t believe I had another vermin in my lawn.

Because I was so successful with my first attempt to eradicate the vermin I thought I could just go out and ‘flood & kill’. Well, not this time. Every time there was a new mound I’d go flood to no avail, it was becoming quite the ritual. I started leaving my shovel in the back yard and as stealth-like as possible walk from the back to the front trying to be oh so quiet.

the distruction

I put the garden hose into the mounds and turned on the water full blast and it would never come up to the top. That’s how extensive the vermin tunnels were in my lawn. I swear there was a man in China standing in his flooded basement complaining to his wife that he just could not figure out where the water was coming from.

Time after time I did this with no ‘dead’ outcome. I came to realize how lucky I was when I took care of the first vermin because this one was driving me crazy. I purchased mole bait online that a friend told me worked for their vermin problem – no luck. I’d bought some traps at the big box store that it looked like it would take Houdini to put together but I was afraid to try this.

One Saturday morning as again I was enjoying my hot cup of caffe’ mocha I was listening to a home improvement show on the radio and they mentioned this company (Gopher Gitters) that has products and along with onsite service to get rid of ones vermin. I didn’t wait to call.

so much damage for such a little rodent..

Six hours later Gordon was at my house to set traps; 3 days later he returned to remove traps and dead vermin; it has now been 3 days and no mounds in lawn. I’ve learned my lesson on doing the happy dance a little too prematurely but Gordon seems pretty confident that there isn’t any more.

Oh how I wish I would have heard about Gordon 3 months ago before my lawn looked like golfers had been hacking at it for years. But it is finished, finito, done. BUT, if I ever do get more of those nasty yard destroying vermin, I know who to call – Ghost Busters, I mean - Gopher Gitters.

Note: Gopher Gitters has not paid me to promote their company, they got rid of my vermin. THANK YOU GORDON!!

Vermin Facts I Learned From Gordon:
~Vermin don’t hang around together, mom kicks kids out relatively young, no waiting for their 18th birthday
~Vermin have a territory; they don’t like to live close to one another
~One vermin will produce 1-2 mounds every day or so

Now all I need to do is get a gardener to come repair my yard...

********** WARNING!! **********

IF YOU ARE SQUEMISH

NOT

PROCEED.....

********************************

my torn up yard

vermin #1

enter & win ~ two days left!!

2009-02-26T11:01:00.003-07:00

Two days left to enter the drawing I’m having celebrating my 1 year blogiversary (Michelle from Bleeding Espresso’s term, love it!) and 100th post. I posted about it here but will list how you can enter again.

Good luck to all entrants!!

******************

Here’s How to Enter the Drawing:

1. Link to me in your blogroll OR if you already link to me, mention it in a comment.
2. Post on your blog about my drawing and link to my blog. http://iceteaforme.blogspot.com/
3. Comment and let me know that you’ve done either or both of the above by 11:59 p.m. PST Saturday, February 28th. You can comment as many times as you like, but only one comment will count for the drawing.
There you go, three ways to enter into my drawing, Link, Post, and Comment. All entries will be entered into the official drawing bowl

******************

Editor's Note: I corrected this post to say 'two days' left and not one. Obviously I haven't looked at a calendar lately. Linda

have/haven't meme

2009-02-21T01:27:00.004-07:00

I found this meme at Palmabella's Passions who found it at Just a Beachkat. I marked the ones that I've done. Leave a comment and a link to your site if you play along, I'd love to see your list.

*Started your own blog
*Slept under the stars
Played in a band
*Visited Hawaii
*Watched a meteor shower
Given more than you can afford to charity
*Been to Disneyland/world
*Climbed a mountain
*Held a praying mantis
Sang a solo (you’d pay me not to sing!)
Bungee jumped
Visited Paris (3 months and counting…)
Watched a lightning storm at sea
Taught yourself an art from scratch
Adopted a child
*Had food poisoning
Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
Seen the Mona Lisa in France (again, in 3 months)
Slept on an overnight train
*Had a pillow fightHitchhiked
*Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
Built a snow fort
Held a lamb
Gone skinny dipping
Been to a Broadway show in NY
Ran a Marathon
Been in three states at once
*Ridden in a gondola in Venice
*Seen a total eclipse
*Hit a home run (a very long time ago)
*Been on a Cruise
Seen Niagra Falls in Person
Visited the birthplace of your Ancestors
Seen an Amish community
Taught yourself a new language
*Had enough money to be truly satisfied
*Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
Gone rock climbing
*Seen Michelangelo’s David
*Sung karaoke
*Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
Visited Africa
*Walked on a beach by moonlight
Been transported in an ambulance
Had your portrait painted
*Gone deep sea fishing
*Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris (not sure if I’ll do this in 3 months)
*Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
*Kissed in the rain
*Played in the mud
Been to Grace Kelley’s grave in Monaco
*Gone to a drive-inBeen in a movie
Visited the Great Wall of China
*Started a business
Taken a martial arts class
Swam in the Mediterranean
SeaVisited Russia
*Served at a soup kitchen
*Sold Girl Scout cookies
*Gone whale watching
*Gotten flowers for no reason
*Donated blood, platelets or plasma
Gone sky diving
Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
*Bounced a check
Saved a favorite childhood toy
*Visited the Lincoln Memorial
Eaten Caviar (and not anytime soon)
*Pieced a quilt
Stood in Times Square
*Toured the Everglades
Been fired from a job
*Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
Broken a bone
Been on a speeding motorcycle
*Seen the Grand Canyon in person (twice)
Published a book
*Visited the Vatican
*Bought a brand new car
Walked in Jerusalem
*Had your picture in the newspaper
Read the entire Bible
*Visited the White House
Killed and prepared my own meat
*Had chickenpox
Saved someone’s life
*Sat on a jury
*Met someone famous
Joined a book club
*Lost a loved one
*Had a baby
Seen the Alamo in person
Swam in the Great Salt Lake
Been involved in a law suit
*Been stung by a bee

Don't forget to enter in my drawing below. Good Luck!!

celebrate & giveaway

2009-02-15T21:28:00.009-07:00

Today is the one year anniversary of the start of my blog, Ice Tea For Me and it is also my 100th post. To celebrate these two occasions I decided I would have a drawing.

The winner of the drawing will receive some wonderful goodies from the South Western USA. I will mail the box of goodies to where ever the winner lives and if by chance you live close to where I will be traveling this May (Italy, France, Switzerland, or Germany) I may be able to deliver it in person.

Here’s How to Enter the Drawing:

1. Link to me in your blogroll OR if you already link to me, mention it in a comment.

2. Post on your blog about my drawing and link to my blog - http://iceteaforme.blogspot.com/.

3. Comment as an entry and also to let me know that you’ve done either or both of the above by 11:59 p.m. CMT Saturday, February 28th. You can comment as many times as you like, but only one comment will count for the drawing.

There you go, three ways to enter into my drawing ~ Link, Post, and Comment. All entries will be entered into the official drawing bowl ‘Tupperware’ and will be randomly selected by me, eyes will be closed when drawing is done. Winner will be notified on March 1st via email and announced on my blog.

As always, thanks so much for reading, and best of luck in the drawing!

happy holidays

2008-12-31T18:42:00.003-07:00

It has been a month since my last post, my apologies to any readers I have left out in the blog sphere.

Along with 30-days of blogging in November for NaBloPoMo I was also planning a Christmas Tea at church for 250 ladies. Add in a full time job and trying to get ready for Christmas and traveling to visit family leaves one with very little time left and something had to give. It’s obvious that I put my blog on the back burner but not forgotten.

This is now my 99th blog post and I’ve not forgotten that on the 100th post I will announce a giveaway. Don’t worry I won’t make you wait another month to find out about it.

I hope everyone had a blessed Christmas and that you have a Happy New Year and that 2009 brings you good health, wealth, and happiness.

I’ve been visiting with family and friends in Redding, California having a wonderful time. My nephews have grown so much in the last 2 years I’m sure by my next visit one or two of them will have surpassed me. I’ve also been trying to convince my niece Jen (20 yrs. Old) to come live with her Auntie, so far it’s not working. I’ve been going to water aerobics with my mom, trying to work off all the Christmas goodies. The water has been a bit chilly but we jogged our way through it.

I’ve hit my favorite places to eat, La Comida, Peter Chou’s, and Jack’s Grill. I have one full day left and I’m hoping to fit in Bartels Giant Burger’s before I leave. They have really good burgers. I’ve also seen two movies, Four Christmases and Marley & Me. They were both good.

Santa was very good to me this year and I’m sure it’s because I’ve been a good girl, right? Thank goodness Santa doesn’t count the dust bunnies against me or I’d be in trouble.

The weather has been rainy and cold with a few days of sunshine thrown in. Frankly I don’t mind it as I just don’t get the rain as much as I’d like in the sunny southwest.

No resolutions for me this year but I will not be so scarce in posting blogs in 2009. Cheers to all. Everyone have a safe New Year’s Eve.

God Bless,
Linda

NaBloPoMo - NoMo

2008-11-30T23:22:00.003-07:00

NaBloPoMo - NoMo (National Blog Posting Month – No More). Wahoo! I made it. I successfully finished the NaBloPoMo by posting on my blog every day of November. I can’t say they were in-depth, thought provoking or interesting posts but I posted everyday for 30 days.

I didn’t think it would be too difficult when I first started even though I’ve read other bloggers who’ve done this say it was. I thought I could have several days in advance in the queue so that I was never under pressure to post that day. Unfortunately that didn’t work out as well as I had thought.

I actually found myself forgetting that I needed to post and there were several times that I barely made the 12:00 midnight deadline. Yicks!! Would I do the NaBloPoMo again? Yes, probably. Would I recommend you to do it? Absolutely. It’s a challenge that is reachable but not easy. You’ll get a sense of accomplishment without killing yourself like doing a marathon would. You also get the opportunity to meet others through this experience.

With so much excitement in finishing NaBloPoMo I decided that I needed to keep up the festive mood. You see this post is #98 which means two more posts and I hit the big ‘100’. Wow, little did I think I would ever have a blog let alone make it to a hundred posts.

To celebrate this auspicious occasion I decided to have a giveaway. Have a little goodie basket that will go to one of my readers. I don’t mean to keep you in suspense but I will post all about the giveaway on my 100th post.

So readers, thank you for sticking with me the last thirty days. I hope I didn’t bore you to death and that you’ll come back.

Remember to stop back and check out my 100th post giveaway.

how they got here

2008-11-29T00:05:00.001-07:00

I’ve seen other bloggers list the Google searches that people did that landed them on the Ice Tea For Me blog. Since my blog isn’t getting slammed with hits there hasn’t been any but it must be a busy internet search time as I’ve had a few. Let me share.

~giveaway – costume – grosgrain - cd – dvd – book – obama – wrath – nimli – ticket – Epson – kai – stroller – build a bear – bootcamp – seventeen – ebooks – tax – apron -- wow, I’m not sure this person knew what they were searching for, don’t they know the less you put in the search the more success you have.

~cambria Nottingham with white cabinets -- they may have found how I like my cambria countertops but not white cabinets; I’m more into the warmer colors.

~amaretto from Burano italy -- I’ve talked about amaretto and Burano, Italy but not in the same post. I wonder why they’d be searching for amaretto in Burano, you can get amaretto anywhere.

~arizona ice tea sweaters -- not sure why anyone would want a sweater that has Arizona ice tea on it but I’ve seen weirder things.

I’m sure all those people who clicked on my blog didn’t find what they were looking for. Oh well, better search next time.

may i introduce to you...

2008-11-28T22:56:00.004-07:00

As I mentioned in a previous post I’ve been on a quest to buy a Kitchenaid Tilt Head Stand Mixer in Onyx Black. I have been paying attention to the prices and waiting for the after Thanksgiving sales.

Here it is, black beauty. Isn’t it pretty? I hope to be able to show you pictures of some delicious foods I’ve made.

happy thanksgiving

2008-11-27T02:57:00.002-07:00

To all who celebrate this day with food, gatherings, football, and more food, Happy Thanksgiving.

I’d like to give thanks to my wonderful family and friends who love me unconditionally. I’m very blessed to have them in my life.

I’m busy cooking and spending the day with Mr. T and his girlfriend. Hope you’re able to spend it with those you love.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

somewhere over the rainbow

2008-11-26T23:46:00.003-07:00

Believe me, I can’t sing and I’m not auditioning for the role of Dorothy in the remake of The Wizard of Oz. No, I’m sorry, it’s a classic and should not be remade.

Today on my way home driving on the freeway in the rain there was the most stunning rainbow that I’ve seen in a very long time. Its colors were so vivid; you could see each layer – blue, green, yellow, red, and purple. Perfetto.

My eyes followed the arch of the rainbow and was surprised to see what seemed like a short distance away was the end of the rainbow. I could have sworn I saw the pot of gold and the funny leprechaun guy. It was perfect.

As I looked at the rainbow I realized I was smiling (remember I was driving on the freeway in traffic) and amazed at the wonders of nature. I thought how just seeing it brightened my mood and I wondered what affects it had on others. There could have been someone who was at the end of their rope and with that one rainbow they decided to make a change. Maybe a parent and child were arguing and with that one rainbow stopped.

Every second of every day around the world small wonders or miracles happen, they usually are never known but to those in that moment. When I see something like a rainbow it makes me stop and appreciate where I am in my life, my family and friends, and how fortunate I am. A moment of reflection.

Do you ever wonder how a rainbow is created? You can find out all about it here.

to smoke or not to smoke

2008-11-25T22:38:00.007-07:00

No, I’m not thinking of picking up the dreadful cancer causing smelly habit of smoking cigarettes. A friend mentioned that a group of people were going to smoke their turkeys in a big pit overnight and asked if I wanted to join them. Wow, the thought of not having to cook a turkey and have my oven on for 3-4 hours is very tempting.

I’ve not had a smoked turkey in a long time other than the lunch meat that I purchase at the local deli. I know these are not close in comparison except by name as the taste of a fresh smoked turkey is out of this world.

I’m a little uncertain what to do. You see the one thing my son and his girlfriend requested for Thanksgiving dinner is lots of leftovers. No special dishes that they must have or it wouldn’t be thanksgiving. Just leftovers.

Now that is one thing I can do is cook too much food. The reason for the request for leftovers is a good friend showed me what she does with leftover turkey dinner over 10 years ago. My son absolutely loves it. My friend would layer the leftovers in loaf pans; put in the freezer and weeks or a month down the road you have a wonderful quick meal. And I have to confess I think it tastes better then the actual dinner, it is very moist.

To make this layered turkey dinner in a loaf pan start with a layer of stuffing. Next put a layer of pulled turkey followed with a layer of mashed potatoes. The last layer is the gravy. It can be tricky figuring out the amount each layer should be, it’s more personal preference on what you like the most but the best advice I can give is, Leave Room For The Gravy!

Remember that when food freezes it expands so if you don’t leave room it will pop the container lid off. I drew a diagram for you of the layer amount, as you can see an artist I am not.

layers of the casserole

Now I’m going to let you in on a little secret. There have been times that there weren’t enough leftovers to make a casserole for two. So what I’d do is whip up some Stove Top stuffing or instance mash potatoes and gravy depending on the need. The only thing I couldn’t whip up is turkey. If there weren’t enough leftovers then we didn't have a casserole that year. I know using instant foods is sacrilegious but it worked.

So you ask why the dilemma then, why wouldn’t I want a mouth watering no fuss cooked by someone else turkey? My concern is that the smoked flavor of the turkey will taste funny in the leftover casserole.

I will need to consult my turkey consultant, no not call the Butterball Hotline but call my dad. He’s the one who takes care of the turkey in our family and he’ll hopefully have some sage advice.

I’ll let you know what I decide to do.

Editor Update: Checked with dad and he said to go ahead with smoking the turkey but to remember that there would be no crispy skin. Uh oh. Called Mr. T, he nixed the turkey smoking. And I quote, ‘the skin is the best part’. A chip off the old block; like mother like son. The ole bird will be cooked in the oven.

checking the ads

2008-11-24T06:05:00.000-07:00

This week is thanksgiving but another important day is also this week. One that retailers are hoping and praying will not be as bad as they are expecting it to be. Black Friday. The term "Black Friday" originated in Philadelphia in reference to the heavy traffic on that day. More recently, merchants and the media have used it instead to refer to the beginning of the period in which retailers are in the black (i.e., turning a profit). Read more about it here.

I’ve been known to go out and be part of the shopping madness but only to the extent that I’m looking for a particular item and it’s at a smoking price. I refuse to be part of the all day mad dash knocking over everyone to get to an item that is limited in supply.

I also have to admit that I’ve gone out on Thanksgiving to get a great deal, especially if it means I don’t have to go out on Friday and deal with all the traffic.

I picked up the Sunday paper today so I can check out the ads. Though I know most ads will come out in Thursday’s paper I’m sure retailers will be promoting more early specials. I posted previously that I’m going to purchase a KitchenAid Onyx Black Tilt Head Stand Mixer and I’m going to be ready if I find a great deal.

Are there any other Black Friday shoppers out there?

warmth

2008-11-23T22:03:00.002-07:00

A couple of years ago I got rid of my electric blanket as it had seen better days. Now in comparison to other parts of the U.S. or world where I live it doesn’t get really cold, especially for long periods of time. I’m not saying we don’t have cold weather as some nights in January/February can be in the mid to high teens; it’s just not as extreme as others have it.

I tend to be a frugal person when it comes to cooling/heating my house. One, I don’t care to pay high gas/electric bills. Two, my blood has thinned out since moving to Arizona and in the summers my thermostat is usually set around 78/79 degrees. When I’m cleaning or if it’s really hot outside I turn it down a bit but usually not much. I do have ceiling fans in each room in the house and starting in May through October they are on constantly. They cost a very little to run and circulate the air very effectively.

In the winter time I don’t keep it as warm as I’d like but I tend to wear sweaters and socks to keep everything warm. I’ll have the heater come on in the morning to warm up the house and in the evening when needed.

Now let me state that my house is only 1,300 square feet so it doesn’t take much to heat/cool my house. There are vents in every room in the house so it doesn’t take much time.

Last winter without an electric blanket it made my initial entry into bed at night a bit chilly for the first few minutes until my bed warmed up. You see being single there is no body heat on the other side of the bed to help with this problem. I wear warm PJs, socks and have flannel sheets but it still can be a bit nippy.

My mom had mentioned that she had bought a heated mattress pad that goes on top of the mattress under the bottom sheet. That made more sense to keep the heat closer to your body. After searching the internet and several stores I found what I needed at one of my favorite stores, Costco.

This is a lovely addition to my winter bedding setup. I turn it on about 30 minutes before I’m ready for bed and it’s all nice and toasty when it’s bed time.

I hope everyone out there in blog sphere has someone or something to keeps their toes warm.

sold

2008-11-22T09:57:00.001-07:00

I’ve been known to drag my feet when jumping into the technology world. I read blogs for a long time before I ever left a comment and it took me years before I decided to start a blog.

As I’ve mentioned before I have a garage full of crap and I’ve been meaning to get onto Craig’s List and put items up for sale. I’ve been told it’s really easy. Heck, even my mom has gone and posted/sold items. Now that’s not a slight to my mom but there are times when she is technically challenged and she’ll be the first to admit it.

Last night I bit the bullet and I posted two tables onto Craig’s List. Not hard, quite easy in fact. Low and behold 16 hours later I sold one of the tables. Wow, this is great. I need to go and take pictures of a bunch more stuff that I need to get rid of, maybe I can make enough to pay for Christmas.

Wish me luck.

Disclaimer: Craig’s List has not paid to have their site promoted.

little sprouts

2008-11-21T10:20:00.001-07:00

I had the outside of my house painted a couple of weeks ago and because I knew I was having this done I delayed planting my garden so in wouldn’t be in the way of the painters. With it being dark when I leave for work and also when I get home it limits my time to get out in the garden.

Over the past week I’ve finally have planted flowers, herbs, and lettuce in a couple of areas. I still have two other sections to plant; hopefully I can get to it this weekend.

As I mentioned before, I love arugula. I planted arugula on Sunday and 3 days later you can see below the little sprouts that have appeared. Arugula grows very fast which I love, gives a gardener quick gratification seeing your garden grown. In the area to the right of the argula I planted flat leaf parsley, as you can see it takes longer for parsley to germinate.

Arugula

I will let the arugula sprouts grow another inch or so and then I’ll start thinning out the patch. Those baby sprouts have a nice mild peppery taste to them and they make a great light salad with a little olive oil, kosher salt, and pecorino romano shavings. Hmmm, I can hardly wait. I’ll try and remember to take a photo to share.

When I plant flowers in pots or in beds I like to keep to the same type of flower and the same color so that there is a burst of color and it draws your eye to them. One of my favorite flowers that do great during the winter/spring is petunias. This year there wasn't a good selection of petunias at the stores and what there was they didn’t have them in the same colors. It was more a variety pack.

I broke my rule because I enjoy petunias so much that I bought the variety pack, will have to see once they start growing and flowering just what they look like.

Besides petunias I planted pansy’s (orange & blue), basil, oregano, thyme, sage, and rosemary.

Petunias & Herbs

How does your garden grow?

a sharp giveaway – check it out

2008-11-20T01:24:00.003-07:00

If you appreciate beautifully crafted knives or just like to enter contests, zip over to Jaden’s Steamy Kitchen and enter in her knife giveaway:

How to Sharpen Your Knives + Knives Giveaway

This post will tell you everything you need to know about keeping your knives in perfect working order and also offers some great resources for finding out more. Contest ends November 30th.

If you Stumble, blog, post on Twitter or Facebook about the giveaway you get to have your name added to a bonus knife giveaway. Make sure you follow the instuctions on Jaden’s site. Here is the knife I chose when I win the contest (sending positive vibes):

Santoku 7" Fushionwood Knife

w/Peacock Handle

photo from New West KnifeWorks

Good luck to all participants, I hope you learned some knife skills. Go over to Steamy Kitchen and enter befor the November 30th deadline.

what’s cooking wednesday – zucchini pie/muffins

2008-11-19T06:07:00.001-07:00

I was craving something comforting the other night other then a tossed salad with grilled chicken so I whipped up some zucchini muffins. It really was an old recipe that you make in a pie dish with Bisquick, I made a few alterations and it came out very tasty and easy to make.

I’ll list the original recipe along with the alterations I made in parenthesis; either way it’s a nice light main dish or a good side dish. I cut the recipe in half for my muffins except adding extra zucchini.

Zucchini Pie (Muffins)

3 cups of shredded zucchini (2 cups)
4 eggs (1/2 cup Egg Beaters)
1 cup Bisquick (1/2 cup)
1 Tbs. dried Parsley (2 Tbs. fresh)
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (1/2 cup cheddar & ½ cup feta)
½ cup oil (1/4 cup but I would use less next time)
(added grated onion, couldn’t taste it, wouldn’t add next time)

Mix all ingredients together and pour into a greased 9” pie or quiche pan. Bake at 375º for 40 minutes or until done.

(I wanted to see what this recipe would taste like with feta cheese. I made up the mixture, split it into two separate bowls and added the cheddar to one and the feta to the other. There wasn’t much flavor with the feta cheese muffins surprisingly, I would stick to just cheddar.

Halving this recipe made 6 muffins. I sprayed PAM in the muffin tin and baked on the convection cycle at 350 º for 25 minutes.)

Buon Appetito

fall in the southwest

2008-11-18T22:45:00.003-07:00

The leaves have started turning golden colors and falling in scattered patterns on the ground. You imagine father’s raking up the leaves and the kids running and jumping into the piles with squeals of laughter. The air is crisp and the smell of log fires fills the air. The cold air nips at your ears and your nose. Fall is a magical time of year, holidays with family and friends and the promise of winter to come with the hopes that it will snow so a snowman can be made.

As nice as that sounds here in the sunny southwest fall is a little different. We have the leaves turning golden and falling to the ground in scattered patterns but that’s about where it stops here in the valley of the sun.

Just this morning before work I sat in my living room watching the news and enjoying some tea. The front and back doors were open letting in the fresh air. You can smell just a hint of smoke from someone’s fireplace somewhere in the distance, I guess some people find the low 60 degree temperature cold but to me it isn’t.

I’m still in shorts, ceiling fans whirling, and wearing sandals. Now I in no means like to be cold in fact I get pretty cranky when I am but I too enjoy fresh air and will take every opportunity to sit outside. I do know my days are numbered as even in the sunny southwest we do get cold weather. Where the daytime high temperatures reach the 40s/50s and the lows can be in the teens. It still is dry as we don’t get that much moisture so even when it’s cold the days are beautiful.

It’s hard to get in the mood for the holidays and to think it is Fall as today our temperature broke a record. Our high today was 88 degrees. November 18th and it’s 88 degrees. I’m not complaining but with this type of weather it’s hard to get into the holiday spirit.

I had a girlfriend just tell me yesterday that she is done with her Christmas shopping. Christmas? I haven’t even thought about it, haven’t even started. So, I’ll just pour myself another glass of ice tea and go sit out on my deck and enjoy the wonderful weather we are having and watch my garden grow until it’s time to pull out my leather gloved and scarves from Florence.

WE do suffer through the summer with 115+ temperatures but we are rewarded with the wonderful mild temperatures from November through April.

Happy Fall everyone.

and the planning begins

2008-11-17T23:11:00.004-07:00

Can you believe that there is only 10 days until 'Turkey Day"? I'm in denial about Christmas and don't want to think about it. I do need to start thinking about Thanksgiving and planning a menu, that's part of the fun.

I truly don't mind cooking a big dinner with all the trimmings but when it's just 2 or 3 of you it sometimes feels like you go through a whole day cooking process for a 20 + minute eating spree.

In the past we’ve gone out to dinner, limited what is cooked, or went over friends for dinner. All these are great but what you miss out on are the leftovers. There are some dishes or meals that just taste better the next day and Thanksgiving is one of them.

How about the turkey sandwich on white bread with cranberry sauce, salt and pepper, and of course mayonnaise. No skimping on the mayo. You don’t get to have a cold turkey sandwich when there aren’t any leftovers.

Last year I joined my son and his girlfriend and they cooked their first Thanksgiving dinner in their new house. We had a great time and everything was perfect. This year it’s at my house.

My son and I have a tradition of going to the movie’s on Thanksgiving, gets us out of the house staring at each other or the television. You’d think we’d be the only people in the whole theatre but it’s surprisingly quite busy on this day. I guess people want to go see the latest flick after a big turkey dinner. Not sure if that’s on our agenda this year or not.

Do you have a family tradition for Thanksgiving?

oreo

2008-11-16T23:12:00.003-07:00

No, this isn’t turning into a cat blog, lord knows that my cat will only provide me with so many good photos and this I feel is one of them. If her angelic face makes you think she purrs loudly as Patches in the previous post, lets you pet and show her affection when she comes up to you, well think again.

She will easily bite the hand that feeds her and when petting her you can get in 2 maybe 3 strokes before she attempts and usually succeeds a quick bite.

She’s still loved but she is getting cranky in her old age… 13 years old (people years).

au revoir patches

2008-11-15T20:27:00.004-07:00

In October my sister and niece’s cat that they’ve had for many many years went to be in kitty heaven. She was the sweetest cat, always loving and cuddling up to you. I have never heard a cat purr as loud as Patches did. You could say she was the polar opposite of my cat Oreo.

Good-bye Patches you will be missed.

bigger and better

2008-11-14T23:07:00.004-07:00

This evening the temperature was very pleasant out and I had the doors open. Halfway through the show Ghost Whisperer there was a knock on my screen door. A group of teenagers were on a type of scavenger hunt called ‘bigger or better’.

I was a little confused as the last time I was on a scavenger hunt was decades ago and I had never heard of ‘bigger or better’. The object of the game is that they go to houses and ask if the person would give them a ‘bigger or better’ item than what they currently had. If you can help them out you give them your item and you keep the other item.

I have a ton of crap in my garage that I’ve been meaning to clean out so I can park my car in the garage again so I knew I had to have something. The item that I needed to replace with a ‘bigger or better’ item was a purple lava lamp. A purple lave lamp that was roughly 15” in height.

As excited as I should be to be receiving a purple lava lamp which was part of my era I saw it going out in the garage with all the other stuff. So, off I went into my garage and quickly looked for something to swap with the kids.

You would think that this would be a quick decision, grab something off the top that qualified as ‘bigger or better’ and be done with it. Oh no, I looked over my piles of crap as if there were fortunes to be made in it and actually put thought into what to give them. Geez Linda, just let it go!!!

So, I ended up giving them a 12” antique looking clock. It wasn’t ‘bigger’ but in my opinion it was ‘better’ and the kids thought it was great and left leaving me with a purple lava lamp.

I went back to watching my program on TV and then there was another knock on my door. It was another group of kids doing the ‘bigger or better’ swap. This time I had no hesitation on to what I would give them. I went and grabbed the purple lava lamp off the kitchen table and traded that for a weathered forest green plastic Adirondack chair.

This was too funny as just 3 weeks ago I took a chair exactly like that to the dump. My chair had a broken slat on it so I checked this new chair to see if it was broken in the same place. It wasn’t so I knew I wasn’t getting back a scavenged broken plastic deck chair from the dump. Not sure if this is a useable item as it’s sitting on my front lawn, I’ll check it out tomorrow during the day to see if this will go to the dump too.

Neighborhood kids with lamp & chair

I asked the kids if I could take their picture and also asked their permission to post on my blog. They thought it was cool and happily agreed. How fun is that. I so enjoy seeing young people having good clean fun.

Check out the purple lava lamp, maybe I should have kept it and put it in my office...

Have you been on a scavenger hunt? What was the strangest item you had to find?

a night of laughs

2008-11-13T22:28:00.003-07:00

Tonight some friends and I went to a comedy show. These guys were great. The four comedians are Jeff Allen, Brad Stine, Anthony Griffith, & Ron Pearson and they call themselves The Apostles of Comedy.

Lord knows we could use a little laughter in our lives these days and these guys have clean material and are funny. You don’t have to worry about listening to a lot of bad language or talk on subjects that aren’t quite appropriate. It was very refreshing and funny.

Check out their website and if The Apostles of Comedy are performing in a location close to you I highly recommend going, money well spent.

day 12

2008-11-12T23:34:00.006-07:00

Its day 12 in NaBloPoMo, read about it here, my challenge to myself to blog every day of November. I feel like I’ve hit a road block whether I don’t want to sit and write or I truly don’t have anything to say.

Well, it’s getting late and I’m getting close to not making my deadline so I did what any other desperate blogger would do… post photos.

I decided to look through my photos of my first trip to Italy in September 2004 and post some photos that I haven’t posted before but bring back memories.

I’m sorry this is a lame post but I hope you enjoy the photos.

A group of people inside the colosseum singin

hallelujah with a pastor playing the guitar, it

was a serene moment. (Rome)

A guide told us that the grooves in the steps of the

court house in the Forum was where games were

played while ‘paid’ jurors would wait to be called in,

not sure if it’s true or not but it sure sounded good. (Rome)

First roasted chestnuts I’d ever had, they were yummy. (Lucca)

Vegetable stand at Rialto Bridge. (Venice)

A welcome sight after a grueling hike from

Montorosso to Vernazza. (Cinque Terre)

over’s locks on Ponte Vecchio. (Florence)

Bramasole from Under the Tuscan Sun. (Cortona)

Ceramic pklatters I purchased in Gubbio.

veterans' day

2008-11-11T06:56:00.000-07:00

World War I officially ended on June 28, 1919, with the signing of the Treaty of Versailles. The actual fighting between the Allies and Germany, however, had ended seven months earlier with the armistice, which went into effect on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month in 1918. Armistice Day, as November 11 became known, officially became a holiday in the United States in 1926, and a national holiday 12 years later. On June 1, 1954, the name was changed to Veterans Day to honor all U.S. veterans. You can find more information on veterans’ day here and here.

Every day we need to make sure we thank those who have bravely served or are currently serving our country. They leave their families and put their life on the line when they go to defend the United States and other countries to have the freedom’s we do. Yes, they chose to be in the military and they knew the risks and sacrifices but it takes a brave man/woman to do what they do. On this day we need to honor and thank them.

I’d like to thank my father who bravely served our country. I’m very proud of you Dad and I love you very much.

To all the veterans’ I’d like to say ‘Thank You and God Bless You’.

an invader

2008-11-10T06:30:00.000-07:00

I’ve always been proud of my yard, green, manicured, kept up. This past year my front yard has struggled as it took some abuse when my house was being remodeled since the cabinet guys, carpenter, and tile layers used it as a staging area. There were some parts of the lawn that I thought might not grow back.

I shouldn’t have worried as Bermuda grass is very hardy and it can be abused and still come back. Everything was going really good when ‘it’ struck. It’s destructive, sneaky, and illusive and is making a mess of my yard.

Here are some clues: it’s a vermin, makes mounds, and likes to eat roots.

Yes, I have a gopher. I’ve listened to many gardening shows to know that it’s almost impossible to get rid of them. The funny part is that my house is land locked; they’re either houses or roads surrounding my house. Since it’s in the front yard it either came through the neighbors yard (no evidence of destruction or mounds of dirt) or traveled under the street which is a good 30-40 feet wide. Can this vermin travel that far? I guess so since there’s no other way it made it to my yard.

I’m praying that it doesn’t make it to my backyard or I’m going do a Caddy Shack and whip out some dynamite.

Any advice from anyone out in the blog sphere?

wall of dust

2008-11-09T20:24:00.003-07:00

It was reported that we were going to have high winds today and thunderstorms in the late afternoon and evening.

We didn’t get the rain but the wind came and brought with it the wall of dust. That’s what you get in the sunny southwest, more dust then rain.

clouds avove the dust below

love the shark

2008-11-08T06:57:00.003-07:00

Do you love the shark? Not the great white that lives in the ocean or golfer Greg Norman. What I’m talking about is The Shark Vacuum. I LOVE it!

A year ago I put tile in my entire house except the bedrooms. With that much surface to be dusting and mopping I needed to find a way to clean it the most effective way and in a timely manner.

Let me just say that I’ve bought 6 different dust and wet mops until I over heard someone raving about The Shark when in a store one day. That convinced me enough to go and buy one.

I’m not getting paid for promoting this item but I wanted to show you the solution I found to wet mopping my tile. No more buckets of water. I still need to vacuum and run my swifter first but the shark gives a good steam cleaning.

Do you have a favorite cleaning product? If so, please share.

italia

2008-11-07T23:26:00.008-07:00

Yesterday I had a conference call meeting to review a new tool that I needed to pull reports from. So we both could view my desktop we used NetMeeting and started the meeting. I had several Internet Explorer screens open which is pretty normal and I was flipping from one to another. I inadvertently stopped on one IE screen that had a Google map of Italy up. I made a flip comment about Italy not being the correct screen we needed to view. This person then said, Oh, I’m going on vacation next year in Italy.

As many of my friends know that was all I needed to delve into a conversation of Italy. It really doesn’t take much to do but I typically don’t do this in a random meeting with someone I don’t know. I of course asked the when, where, and for how long questions. I told her how much she was going to enjoy her trip, gave her some tips on certain places and let her know that if she wanted some recommendations to zip me an email. I forced myself to get back to the meeting at hand.

I’m always amused at what will pull my attention to Italy and keep my mind there even during a day at work. It could be the hallway question from a co-worker asking when my next trip to Italy is (2009 thank you very much). An email from Italian Notebook, about.com, or ciao Italia. Or someone comments about the picture on my desktop of Burano, Italy. It just doesn’t take much, and it shouldn’t as Italy is a beautiful magical country where the people, history, countryside, food, and shopping will put a spell on you. If you doubt me then go to Italy and come back and tell me it isn’t. I dare you.

Since I’m in a reminiscent mood I thought I’d share some photos of my last trip to Italy in May 2007. It’s hard to believe it’s been a year and a half when it seems just like yesterday.

Arezzo

caffe

municipal building

can't you just smell the jasmine?

look at the fresh wonderful vegetables

Cortona

the valley below Cortona

a window with view

vino

now that's fresh mozzerella

the stairs

sunflowers

my waiter

beef tips in a chianti reduction

outside dining

Florence

an temporary statue

a corner blessing

a building

ponte vecchio

santa maria novella church courtyard

proscuitto at Il Latini

good luck chinghale

Tuscany Countryside

a villa

a very small chapel

lovely jasmine

a backyard

Hope you enuoyed my walk through memory lane.

king of my kitchen

2008-11-06T23:42:00.005-07:00

I don’t know about you but when I’m going to make a significant purchase that I will have for the rest of my life I will spend time researching to determine the style, color, and model of what I want.

Case in point, I want a Kitchenaid stand mixer. There are two styles with the Kitchenaid mixer, tilt head or bowl lift. Now I automatically would choose the tilt head as of it’s convenience of removing the attachments, adding ingredients, or the ease of scraping down the sides of the bowl.

This would be an open/shut case on what style to choose except the tilt head mixer is smaller (9-cup bowl) then the new Pro600 model (14-cup bowl). Hmmm, what I really wanted was a 14-cup tilt head model but they don’t make it.

Then I ask myself, Linda you are single, your son lives 40 minutes away, and the last loaf of bread I bought was over 6 weeks ago, do I currently or will I ever in my future need a mixer that can make 8 ¼ loaves of bread, 13 dozen cookies, or 8 pounds of mash potatoes in one setting? That’s exactly what I thought too. Uhhh NO. So I decided on the model – Artisan 5-Quart Tilt Head Stand Mixer. Yahoo!!

But wait, what color to choose? Questions I asked myself. Where will it be stored, on the counter for everyone to see or in a cabinet? Should it be a shiny surface or a mat surface that wouldn’t show finger prints or streaks? If it sits on my countertop should it blend with the décor or stand out? All very good questions.

Some of the decisions were easy. I don’t have tall enough space for it to be stored in a bottom cabinet and the mixer is too heavy to lift overhead. You also want it handy enough to use at a whim and not have to go retrieve it from whatever far off place I found to store it. Ok, on the countertop it would go, at least in the beginning. The colors they have now are amazing, not just white and black anymore. There’s the retro trendy green apple, cornflower blue, boysenberry, bayleaf, blue willow, persimmon, and on and on. Then you have the old faithful colors, of white, empire red or imperial black.

color: persimmon
courtesy of kitchenaid.com

color: cornflower blue
courtesy of kitchenaid

comcolor: apple green
courtesy of surlatable.com

comcolor: boysenberry
courtesy of kitchenaid.com

comcolor: empire red
courtesy of kitchenaid.com

As much as I would have loved to have the persimmon color that matched the random specks in my granite countertops I didn’t want it to be a focal point in the kitchen, it is just a mixer even though it’s a Kitchenaid and I’ve wanted one forever. I decided to go with black as it will blend with the kitchen and after much vacillating decided to go glossy (onyx black) as my countertops and appliances are all shiny.

After I had decided on what I wanted my girlfriend calls me this past week and tells me the QVC Special Value of the day was the Pro600 for a price of $299. That is the same price as the Artisan smaller model. That was at least a $150 savings and you get the bigger model. Only problem was that it’s not a tilt head. Darn it. As much as I love a good sale I wasn’t sacrificing the tilt head for a sale.

Since I have no burning need to get my Kitchenaid this second I’ve decided to wait as the holidays are really close and I’m hoping to catch it on sale or maybe some attachments thrown in. Maybe waiting for the after Christmas sales.

I’d like to introduce you to my future king of my kitchen:

comcolor: onyx black
courtesy of surlatablecom

what’s cooking wednesday – roasted peppers

2008-11-05T07:27:00.001-07:00

Readers: I'm having problems loading pictures, will upload them hopefully later today.

Well, it’s not a dish that is this What’s Cooking Wednesday but it is such a versatile and flavorful vegetable that it deserves a post.

Bell peppers season has ended for some of you and others like here are still getting beautiful and excellent priced peppers. Here’s a way to store some summer flavors for winter use.

In roasting these peppers I tried green, red, yellow, and orange. They all roasted the same but in terms of sweetness I personally would only roast red peppers in the future. They tend to be a bigger pepper so it’s more bang for your buck but if yellow or orange peppers should fall in my lap I wouldn’t waste them. Green peppers don’t roast up that well, I feel they have many other uses but roasting doesn’t bring out their best qualities.

Roasting peppers is really easy and can be done on top a gas stove, oven, or grill. If you haven’t tried this before I recommend you do, it’s easy and the roasted pepper is oh so tasty.

Roasting Bell Peppers

Take whole bell peppers and put in a hot oven, on gas stove, or grill. You want to roast all sides of the pepper, it will turn black, no worries.

Once the peppers are roasted on all sides put them in a zip lock bag and seal it or in a big bowl and cover with plastic wrap.

Leave peppers in bag or bowl until they are cool enough to work with. Now the messy part. Remove peppers and rub off the skin of the peppers until all the skin is removed. Do not rinse pepper in water, your rinsing off some roasting flavor. Remove stems and seeds.

At this point you can freeze, can, or eat these yummy peppers. I like to freeze the peppers in small baggies. If you don’t want the peppers to freeze together then layer the roasted peppers on in a single layer on a cookie sheet and put in the freezer. Once they are frozen you can put in a plastic baggie and back in the freezer. That way they are mot stuck together and you can pull out what you need.

Put a large slice on a portabella mushroom burger, make some bell pepper hummus or relish, add to a pasta dish, or add to scrambled eggs. Many yummy uses.

What is your favorite use for roasted bell peppers?

today's the day

2008-11-04T11:36:00.002-07:00

After what seems like an eternity of political campaigning for the 2008 Presidential race the hour is finally here. It’s time for every legalized American citizen to step into the booth and to connect the arrow for the candidates of their choice.

Because this campaign has been so contentious and is also an historical moment in United States history (either an African-American will be elected President or a female will be elected Vice President) the enthusiasm for this election is evident. I wouldn’t be surprised if this turned out to be one of the highest voting turnouts of all times. We’ll just have to wait and see.

So what ever you do or where ever you go make sure you get out and VOTE!! I did.

Did you get an “I voted today” sticker too?

exercise your right

2008-11-03T07:46:00.003-07:00

Several blogs I read regularly have written about the upcoming election, giving their political view and opinions. Not that I necessarily agree with them but it’s their blog and they can write about anything they choose, it’s my choice to come back or not.

I’ve not gone out and searched for political websites to read as I’ve gotten enough on TV, Radio, Telemarketers, Mail, Signs all over town, and through personal conversation. I’ve personally chosen not to write on my blog about the election but I would really liked to have seen more of a comparison of the two candidates on all the issues that wasn’t biased or one sided. The truth about each candidate’s strategy on health care, economy, border security, etc.; side-by-side that an individual can look at and make an informed decision. All I want to see is 'Just the Facts Jack'. Maybe it’s out there and I’ve missed it with all the mud slinging.

Well, if I haven’t posted on the Presidential election before why now? In my opinion the most important part of this election is that people get out and vote. No matter what side of the isle you are on it’s critical to go and vote. Men and women have fought for us as American’s to have this freedom and we need to make sure we exercise our right.

So tomorrow make sure you make it a priority above everything and get out and GO VOTE!!

turning back

2008-11-02T14:37:00.002-07:00

Did you remember? Did you wake up and turn on your favorite radio or television program and find out that it’s not for another hour? Did you show up for church only to find out that instead of being a few minutes late you were really early?

Well if you haven’t figured out yet you were supposed to ‘turn back’ your clocks one hour at midnight last night.

There’s one advantage in living in Arizona and that is we don’t set our clocks forward or back twice a year. We stay put and let everyone move around us. I actually don’t mind not changing, especially if you work with companies that reside on the East Coast. That means there’s only 2 hours difference and that you have until 3pm to reach them.

The other state that doesn’t change times is Hawaii and the territories that don’t are: Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, Guam, and American Samoa.

NaBloPoMo ~ oh no!

2008-11-01T00:12:00.007-07:00

I can see the consternation on your face, NaBloPoMo, what the heck is NaBloPoMo, is Linda talking alien now? Nope, no alien or Klingon spoken here thank you very much. In the blog world NaBloPoMo stands for National Blog Posting Month. What this means is you sign up to participate and then you make sure you post on your blog every day during the month of November. You can find out all about it here.

Yes I’m aware that November has 30 days in the month and Lord knows I've been a lousy blogger these past months and with the problems I've had lately with my modem and wireless router I should be the last person in the blog world to do NaBloPoMo but.... that's what challenges are for and I've thrown my hat into the NaBloPoMo ring.

The challenge came from Michelle over at Bleeding Espresso. She has participated in NaBloPoMo in the past but is taking a break this year as she has a lot of irons in the fire. She did ask her blog readers ‘What would you commit to doing every day this November?’

So I accepted this challenge and hope that I will become a more consistent blogger and not the blubbering idiot that I fear I will be at the end of the month. You see not only do I work full time but I’m also helping put together a Christmas Tea at my church for 300 wonderful ladies the first weekend in December. I also haven’t planted my winter flowers or veggie garden yet and time is running out!

I won't guarantee insightful or meaningful posts these next 30 days but I will work hard to meet this challenge. Thank you Michelle for encouraging your readers.

Let the blogging begin…

trick or treat

2008-10-31T20:45:00.001-07:00

Today is the day that children around the United States and other parts of the world are allowed to collect as much candy as they can and then over the next days and weeks consume it to their hearts desire. Yes, all those cute little ghosts, pirates, and princesses will be on a sugar high like no other. Oh remember those days. I would try and make my candy last for months.

A fond memory for me but maybe not my sister Tam was that I had the misfortune to come down with the measles or chicken pox right before Halloween (can't remember which). I must have been 12 or 13 years old. I was stuck at home in bed and had to listen to the doorbell ring each time there were trick or treaters. How sad I was that I wasn't going to get a plastic pumpkin bucket full of candy to savor.

Unbeknownst to me my parents had my sister collect candy for me when she went trick or treating too. How surprised was I when Tam came home with candy for me. I was one happy camper. I'm sure my sister wasn't too happy to have to do this chore but it is easy to see that even at her young age she was taking care of her baby sister. Wasn't she a great sister?

Thanks Tam for bringing me candy that Halloween, you're the 'sweetest' sister.

Happy Halloween Everyone!

911 ~ there are flames

2008-10-21T23:48:00.004-07:00

No dear readers my house didn’t burn down, dinner didn’t go up in flames, nor did my auto become a car-b-q on the I-10 freeway. Why then you ask the need to call the loyal men and women who help pull people from burning buildings? You see today is a special day; in a lovely town in Northern California there is a cake that has 49, that’s right f-o-r-t-y n-i-n-e candles on it and is now one big combustible pile of sugar right now as I type. Hence the need for firemen with lots of water.

You see it’s my sister Tam’s birthday today. Forty-nine years ago today she came into this world; the twinkle of my parent’s eyes, the baby of the family. She had lots of curls and was a real cutie petutie but probably was a bit annoying to our older sister (the one with the birthday in the previous post).

Well Tam didn’t have long to cherish the title of ‘baby of the family’ as just less then two years after her birth she became the ‘middle’ child, as along came ‘me’. Now there are perks to being the oldest and perks to being the baby but I’m sure at times being the middle child had very little perks. There are many birth order books that analyze this fact but it doesn’t take a genius to see that the middle child got picked on by the oldest and the baby got away with everything. Now before you grab the hankie to wipe the tear that is about to fall let’s just say this ‘middle’ sister was not without her ‘moments’.

You see when the oldest child moved out of the house the middle child became the oldest and can I say did a fair job at terrorizing me, i.e. The Baby. I think the reason I was good in sports was because I got a lot of practice running away from Tam and when I was cornered would drop into the defense mode on my back with my legs and feet kicking wildly hoping that it would save me. At times it did and at others it didn’t, character building I’d like to call it. May I just say my best comeback really wasn’t intentional but I couldn’t have planned it better if I had tried.

You see as kids we shared the same room and had bunk beds. Being the oldest she got the top bunk though I’m not sure why but that’s a discussion for my therapist. One night we were probably bickering back and forth and though the conversation will never be remembered I must have been tweaked as I put my feet up onto the bottom of her bunk and pushed. You see, our bunk beds had springs on them and not hard boards as they’re make today so the person on the bottom can give a little shove to the person on top. Now in my defense I’m sure my leg muscles were way stronger then I realized from all the defensive kicking I mentioned previously. I’m sure you have already figured out that I did one too many leg pushups on the upper bunk bed and my sister kerplunked to the floor below. I believe Tam was lying breathless and stunned on the bedroom floor and I well, I’m sure I was laughing. Laughing that is until our parents came into the room. I’m sure I got in big trouble for that little incident but I can’t remember what the punishment was. I do know that that is a fond memory that both my sister and I laugh about every now and then. It took her a while to get to the laughing stage but seriously folks, wasn’t that one for the books? Ah childhood memories, gotta love em.

As the middle child I believe she sucked up all the patience and left me with none (no comments from family members please) as she has the patience of Job and would help anyone who needed it. Did I mention how patient she is?

My sister turned out to be the true Libra as her astrological sign implies, always balancing everything out. No seriously she balanced my checkbook for years and we lived 1,000 miles apart. It kills her now as she doesn’t do it any longer and neither do I. Sis you were the level headed one and was always there for me more times then I can count, the big sister watching out for her baby sister and I thank you. Sometimes we were partners in crime other times you covered for me but what I cherish the most is the friendship we share.

Sis, thank you for letting me follow you around as a kid and for driving me to high school even though mom forced you to. I’m humbled by your caring and gentle spirit and honored to be your sister. I’m glad we turned out to be good friends as I can’t imagine my life without you in it.

I’m sorry I couldn’t spend this special day with you but I hope it was a very special day.

Happy Birthday

Luv, Sis

a belated post

2008-09-30T09:56:00.000-07:00

Don’t you hate it when you put something off until the last minute; I believe that would be called procrastination; and when you do get around to the task something out of your control throws a brick wall in front of you. Aargh how frustrating.

You see yesterday was my oldest sister’s birthday. I waited until I came home from work to post Birthday Wishes to her on my blog and BAM! that wireless wicked worm hit me. I could not get a internet connection. I had a signal, I unhooked and reconnected my router and modem, and then called my lovely DSL provider. Yep, there was no problem with my connection, they could see my PC loud and clear. Not sure why I couldn’t get internet connection but since this is also my work laptop they didn’t want to start messing around and muck something up. I agreed with them and said my good nights.

So my dear sister my apologies for these birthday wishes being a day late. Your birthday present is going to be more than a day late but that isn't a surprise to you or anyone else in the family.

I heard you had a great surprise bbq at your house in the hills and I’m sorry I could not be there to share your day with you. I’ve also been told that no pictures were taken. A birthday party without pictures, what’s up with that?? I really wanted to see all the work that you’ve done to your place too.

Readers you see my dear sister is 9 years older then me and just when I was getting old enough not to be a nuisance she moved out on her own and became a full time tax paying citizen. I remember a day that I spent with her and a friend as they went to garage sales, she was probably stuck babysitting me. She has always loved to go to garage sales and still does to this day. I on the other hand have little patience for that.

You see even though they were going to garage sales they had to be only 19 or 20 years old and boys were still a big part of their lives. My sister had a VW bug, cute car to zip around in and to also hide your little sister in. Do you remember the skinny compartment that was behind the back seats in the VW bug? Well, that’s where I was confined to when a cute boy would drive by. I’d get the “hurry, get in the back, quick!” before some cute boy could see me. Since I was small this wasn’t a big deal and I don’t remember being in that little space much but it is a fond memory. I’m sure she had to buy me a frosty or something to cooperate. Small price to pay don’t you think? I wonder if we ever told our parents. Hmmm, well after 37+ years the cats out of the bag.

Well sis, here is to many many more wonderful birthdays but in case you may be forgetting a thing or two in your advancing years, I’m still your baby sister. hehe.

Luv,
Sis

home remodel - part 4

2008-09-25T23:02:00.006-07:00

Here are previous Home Remodel posts – Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3.

After I decided to take the big plunge and do a lot more remodeling then just my guest bathroom, it didn’t take me long to get the ball rolling. As you will recall the last decision I make was to pipe in gas into my kitchen and go with an oven wall unit. Here is what else I was to be doing:

~To make room for the oven/microwave oven wall unit I would need to demolish my pantry. I hated losing the space but necessary if I wanted the combo microwave/oven unit.

~I was going to have the track lighting replaced with cans and have accent lighting added. Electrical outlets added, capped, or moved. Several dimmer switches added within the kitchen and house, gives you the ability to create a ‘mood’.

~Paint the entire inside of the house along with faux painting the kitchen.

~Replace all the baseboards in the entire house due to they weren’t installed very well originally.

~New faucets in kitchen and bathrooms and a big splurge of putting in a pot filler in the wall behind the stovetop. Love it! I hadn’t originally planned that but when my handyman was setting up the electrical, etc. for the cooktop/oven unit he said it wouldn’t cost much more to do this. It didn’t cost much for the plumbing to be installed but have you even priced pot filler hardware? Wow, talk about expensive, but well worth it. I only had 6 hours to look, choose, and purchase the hardware, given more time this is something that would be well worth purchasing over the internet. You get more choices and better pricing.

The Pot Filler

~Engineered stone countertops with an angled edge, no bull nose, angle, bull nose…. Bull Nose Edge – final answer. Cambria Nottingham engineered stone for kitchen and bathrooms and hutch. Black granite composite under mount sink in the kitchen. White porcelain under mount bowl sinks in bathrooms.

Countertop & Cabinet Samples

~Appliances – GE Profile 5-burner gas cooktop; Kitchen Aid Microwave/Convection Oven Wall Unit; Kenmore refrigerator, french doors with water and ice dispenser and a bottom drawer freezer with tilt out door; GE Titan dishwasher (only appliance I already had).

GE Profile Cooktop

~Furniture – of course you can’t redo your home without getting furniture to match. That country blue and white couch would just not do nor would the recliners. My timing on my home remodel was around Thanksgiving time and they were many sales going on. I purchased a couch, loveseat, end table, and a leather coffee table/ottoman for the living room. A small rectangular table with lamp for the entryway and a countertop height dining room table with six chairs.

Of course there were many little decisions and expenditures to be made like handles and knobs for the cabinets. I found the ones I wanted on the internet, don’t you just love the internet. They were 50% less then what I was finding retail and that adds up to a lot of savings when you’re talking a total of 80 knobs and handles.

Photo - A&H Turf & Specialties, Inc.

Side Note: I can not tell you the difference adding handles and knobs to the cabinets made. Honestly the new cabinets were gorgeous before adding them but they popped afterwards. If you have a kitchen and you want to make a change go the inexpensive route and add or change your door hardware, you won’t be disappointed.

Let the changes begin.

a stormy day

2008-09-16T00:13:00.005-07:00

Dear readers I have not fallen off the face of the earth. I've been stuck in serious work mode at work and making final decisions on some travel plans for 2009 which I'll blog on later.

I've not forgotten about my home remodel and will post on it soon, I promise.

The weather's been interesting the last week or so. We've had some good monsoonal activity - dust, wind, lightening, thunder, and rain. Here's some palm trees that you'd expect to see in the sunny southwest minus the sun. I was sitting at a stop light on a overpass when I took this photo.

Only bloggers have their camera close at hand to get a phto to post.

home remodel - part 3

2008-09-05T07:24:00.003-07:00

Here are previous Home Remodel posts – Part 1 and Part 2.

As you may remember at the end of Home Remodel – Part 2 I had decided on putting tile in the whole house, new carpet in the bedrooms, new cabinets in the kitchen and bathroom and adding a hutch and cabinets in the laundry room. A new gas stove and an oven wall unit was also added to the list along with having gas piped into my kitchen. Pretty scary when you consider that I started this project to remodel the guest bathroom.

At this point in the planning of the remodel I needed to step back and look at the direction things were going. The proposed cost had already exceeded what I had initially had planned to spend and I needed to decide whether to scale back or proceed. You could say I was at the proverbial fork in the road. You see as I continue to move forward there are very justifiable reasons why I should make additional changes, it’s kind of a chain reaction that in the end has a hefty price tag connected to it.

There are many things to consider when making these types of changes. Are you planning on staying in the house long term or move within the next 3-5 years. Fortunately there’s no question on what I will do, I'm staying put. I was fortunate when I purchased the house it was in a new development and I bought at a good price. As you know the housing market has sky rocketed over the past 13 years and I had built up a good amount of equity in the house but still with the economy the way it is you need to give these big steps a lot of consideration, ask yourself if the timing is right. I do plan on keeping this house even if I was to move away someday. Not sure if I could rent it out or not but some day I wouldn’t mind being a ‘snow bird’ and winter in sunny Arizona. But unfortunaely retirement is is still a long way off unless I stike it rich and win the lottery. Well, here I was standing on that high dive platform looking way down into a small pool of water asking myself if I was going to take the big plunge or chicken out.

I’ve been thinking, planning, day dreaming about redoing my house for quite a while and it was time to take that dream and turn it into a reality, I deserved it. On the practical side it would only add to the resale value of the house if I was ever to sell one day. Ok, let's do it.

Since I’ve decided to go for the ‘whole enchilada’ I would have to do as much as I can myself to keep labor down, get quotes to compare, and be my own project coordinator. I was the one who was going to be dealing directly with the contractor’s and coordinating the install and timing of each step along the way. As someone who is a planner, list maker, and scheduler this seemed like something I could handle.

I’ve spent a lot of time at those big box stores and I’ve done a lot of fixing things around my house. I know how to caulk a bathroom even though I hated it. I’ve put in my lawn sprinkler system laying the pipe, gluing the joints, and fixing a broken sprinkler when needed. Laid Pergo flooring, painted walls, wallpapered, installed ceiling fans (with only a little shock), removed a toilet and helped put it back together, install shelving, etc. Now, do I like doing all those things? No, if I had my druthers I’d rather have one of those cute guys on HGTV be doing the work and sell tickets to watch them to all my girlfriends and neighbors. Now there's a way to fund this remodel. Boy if that isn't a dream.

First step, shop for a home equity loan ~ done. The best rate was at a credit union and I did everything online, can you believe it, online. Gotta love the internet. Within 1 week papers were signed, notorized, shipped, and loan funded. Wahoo. Now all I had to do was get the work done within my budget. So, I bet you want to know what else I’m planning to in my house; I hate to tease you but check for Home Remodel -- Part 4.

home remodel saga continues...

how does your garden grow?

2008-09-04T09:09:00.000-07:00

I came across these photos that I took this past spring. The herb garden and primrose have since died because of hot, hot heat and the star jasmine bloom cycle does't last but 4 weeks.

The winter garden season will be starting soon. I really need to go out and turn over and prep the soil so I can plant in mid to late September but it's just too darn hot to go outside.

home remodel - part 2

2008-09-03T08:21:00.004-07:00

Catch the first post of my remodel project at home remodel - part 1.

I decided to stop procrastinating and get the guest bathroom redone, honestly Linda it’s been years. As I mentioned earlier that I wanted to have tile flooring but with the bathroom off the hallway I had to make the decision of 1) tile in bathroom only to rip it out when I redo the whole house, or 2) bite the bullet and put tile in the whole house. After several visits to the tile store and discussions on what I can and can’t do it was a done deal – I was going to put tile in the whole house. It makes since to do it all at once, get it over with as they say. Bringing home tiles samples had started. I decided on porcelain and wanted a textured look without it actually be textured so no dirt can get into any grooves. I also wanted it to be multi-colored in a neutral tone that would not show the dirt nor force me into a certain color scheme for decorating.

I placed the tile samples around the house to see what they looked like in the different light of day. As I would sit in my kitchen, again drinking a mocha coffee, looking at the tiles in the kitchen I thought - if I wanted to change the footprint of the cabinets in my kitchen it would be easier to do it before laying the tile. Hmmm, that’s a thought. There really was a need to replace one of the bottom cabinets in the kitchen as I believed there was moisture behind it and potentially some mold. Hmmm, I wondered how much that would cost.

dining area

If you’ve ever done any redecorating or remodeling and you start thinking about more changes then was first planned it’s hard to go back to the original plan. Just putting new tile in the floor would be great but why not take advantage and put in new cabinets first. Ok, done, new cabinets. Oh there's that recessed area in the dining area that I've always wanted to put a hutch in, hmmm, would look really nice and pull the dining and kitchen areas together. Ok, done, a hutch too. Of course I have to put new cabinets in both bathrooms too so they match the kitchen, for resale purposes the cabinet guy says and I agree. Oh, I’ve always wanted to have cabinets in the laundry room instead of the shelf where everyone can see everything stacked upon everything. Done, cabinets will be added in the laundry room.

So I get recommendations from friends who’ve recently put in new cabinets and started getting quotes. After many hours a cabinet guy was chosen and then the real decisions were to be made. Walnut, pine, cherry. Stains, painted, distressed, not to mention if you want a glaze. Solid doors, raised panels, no panel, drawers, doors, pullouts, inserts, dovetail corners, quiet close, on and on and on. I was in cabinet hell. Yes, in the beginning it’s fun because it’s exciting and you have an idea of what you’re wanting. Then you realize what you want is in the custom line and is really pricy so you have to decide whether you want to pay the price or compromise…. I compromised. Raised panel – yes; quiet close – no; stain with glaze – absolutely yes; crown molding – custom in some areas and standard in others; drawers not doors – yes; dove tail – no; plain glass with no wood dividers on hutch doors. I’m sure there are others but I can’t remember them.

kitchen area

Ok, so I’m now putting in new tile and cabinets. Ok, I’m good with that. Well, actually there’s the small issue with that country blue carpet, you did see the picture in the first post, if not check it out here. I can't put in new tile next to that carpet, so I'll need new carpet in the bedrooms. Well, not originally planned but what can you do. It is what it is.

As I sit in my kitchen and work on the new cabinet layout in regards to drawer widths, etc. I now have to get a new stove. Since I’m getting new cabinets I doubt I will redo anything for a LONG time to come so if I was going to get the stove I wanted then now’s the time. Well, now the stove I wanted was actually a stovetop, a 5-burner gas stovetop with a lot of BTus to be exact. That’s fine and dandy but I don’t have gas piped into my kitchen. I have a gas water heater in the garage but currently no gas to the kitchen. Ok, so I have to have gas piped, shouldn't be a big deal, then I can get the 5-burner stovetop that I’ve always wanted. Oh to cook with gas, a dream come true. Now I guess I need to find a contractor. Since I was going to have gas brought in that also meant I would have the option of moving the location of where my current stove is located, there was something else I needed to think about, what about an oven?

After spending many a lunch hour and weekend online or in appliance stores I couldn’t find the double oven/microwave combination that I wanted that would fit under the gas stovetop. Hmmm, ok so now I needed to figure out where to put wall ovens which I really did not want. They took up valuable cupboard space. Once you see the pictures you will notice that my kitchen is galley style so I did not have too many options as to where they could go. So my choices were - give up my gas stovetop and get a gas stove/electric oven that slides between the cabinets or keep the gas stovetop and put in a bulky space hogging wall oven unit. Aargh, why can’t they make what I want…. I’m the consumer it shouldn’t be too much to ask for should it? For the amount these items cost can’t I find what I want? Well, I guess not so a decision must be made. Again the need to compromise but this wasn’t a hard decision, I was not giving up my gas stovetop no way, no how, over my dead body.

Ok, let’s recap:

Original Project - Guest Bathroom:

~tile floor

~paint

~decorations

Current Project:

~tile entire house

~carpet in bedrooms

~replace cabinets in kitchen & bathrooms

~add a hutch in dining area & cabinets in laundry room

~new stovetop & oven wall unit

~pipe in gas

home remodel saga continues...

home remodel - part 1

2008-09-02T08:30:00.003-07:00

I promised I would write about my home remodel in August. Obviously I did not meet the self imposed deadline, sorry blog readers for the delay. Here’s a little background information: I bought my house 13 years ago brand spankin new. It’s not a big house, ~1300 sq. ft. but it was just the right size for my son and I. Yes, it would have been nice to have a little more room but knowing me I would have filled it with ‘stuff’ that I did not need nor want to dust. My son moved out several years ago so now it’s just me and Oreo so I’m very happy to not have a lot of rooms to ramble around.

When I bought the house I upgraded the kitchen and bathroom cabinets and of course the carpet padding but tile and stone countertops were just not in the budget. When I picked out the carpeting and furniture I was in the ‘country’ mode so as you can imagine it was only a matter of time the ‘country blue’ lost it’s charm. Not known for my decorating skills I could never finish the country theme nor had the money to totally convert to a different look. So what I had was a miss mash of… ugh.

check out the country blue and Oreo

I’ve wanted to redecorate for 8+ years and thinking and rethinking what I would do if I could. I peppered those who were remodeling a kitchen on what they did, who did the work, what they recommend or not recommend. Discussions of laminate wood vs. tile flooring, blinds vs. shutters, gas vs. electric, etc., etc. I would file this information away in my brain and then sit in my kitchen on Sunday mornings while enjoying my mocha coffee envisioning what I would do. At times I would even go as far as sketching this onto paper or talking to the sales help at several of our big box home stores.

oh those mauve matching recliners

This was not an all consuming process but rather wanting to decorate would come and go throughout the years. I would really get the bug when I would have friends over for dinner, people coming to visit, or around the holidays. Unfortunately it came down to the almighty dollar and not wanting to part with it.

Around five years ago the guest bathroom flooded which in turn ruined the laminate flooring. This was ripped out and I just kept it with the original linoleum, no base boards, and some of the wall paper pulled off at the bottom of one wall. This was not the prettiest of rooms but it my sons bathroom so I wasn’t in any hurry to fix it up because we all know boys have cooties and why fix a bathroom that a teenager was not going to take care of.

guest bathroom after wallpaper & decor removed

I also didn’t want to remove the wallpaper that I had put up on all the walls in the bathroom. It wasn’t a huge room but putting up wallpaper is a pain, removing it is a bigger pain. So I procrastinated. By this time I had decided on putting tile into the bathroom and because this bathroom opens up to the hallway if I was going to tile the bathroom I would have to tile the hallway, which leads to the living room, which would lead to the kitchen. In other words if I tiled the guest bathroom floor I’d have to tile the whole house at once or tear out the tile put in the guest bathroom when I was ready to tile the rest of the house. Either way it wasn’t a pleasant thought. So I procrastinated some more.

About 3 plus years ago the bible study group that I’m in started meeting at my house due to my vision and not being able to drive at night. With them meeting at my house it would mean that they would have to use the guest bathroom in all its ugly glory. Yes, it was clean but not in the best decorative state. Still I didn’t know where to start so procrastinating was just easier.

As I saved money to begin fixing up the guest bathroom I found when I had save a good chunk of change I would travel abroad. In 2004 I spent 3 ½ weeks in my first trip to Italy. Fell in love with the country, people, food, culture and knew I had to return. Two years later in 2006 I spent 4 weeks in Italy with my parents and son joining me for parts of that trip. Everyone asked me on my return if I’d gotten Italy ‘out of my system’ but unfortunately this trip only confirmed that I wanted to have Italy as part of my life in some way. But I also was trying to be realistic and knew I could not afford to be jetting off to Italy every two years unless I won the lottery or found myself a ‘sugar daddy’, both an unlikely happening.

Duomo, Orvieto

In the beginning of 2007 I started seriously thinking of starting those projects in my house, specifically the guest bathroom. My son had moved out so all those boy cooties did too, I had no excuses. Started spending more time in the flooring and cabinet area of the big box home stores rather then the garden area. Did I want ceramic or porcelain, oh the many styles of carpet, enough to make the mind swirl.

Trevi Fountain, Rome

Then in April 2007 a friend who works for an airline called and offered me a buddy pass that was going to expire the first of June so it needed to be used, would I be interested. Would I be interested? A buddy pass to… anywhere? Anywhere? Oh, but where would I go? Would I be able to get the time off work on such short notice? Of course I did not hesitate in saying ‘yes’ I would LOVE to use the ticket. Where I would go, no question there I was returning to Italy. Because the time was of the essence I called my manager on a Saturday evening asking if it was okay if I took the time, there was no issue there. Yahoo, I couldn’t believe I was returning to this beautiful country just 6 months after I left. Folks, this is the reason why everyone should have a current passport, having the ability to leave at a moment’s notice.

Tuscany countryside

Yes, this is a blog of my home remodel but these trips delayed my remodel in several ways. The spell that Italy had on me was something that I couldn’t explain when people asked why I love it so much. It’s not just one particular thing but everything it did and didn’t offer, a place where I could and wanted to see myself being a part of either on a regular or semi-permanent basis. After reading about others who feel the same as I do I don’t feel the need to explain it anymore, all I do is highly encourage them to visit this country. After I returned from my 3rd trip to Italy I felt I had gotten Italy somewhat out of my system and could focus on my home. The adventure begins….

home remodel saga continues...

labor day

2008-09-01T19:15:00.003-07:00

Today is Labor Day in the United States, you can read more about this holiday here and here.

Labor day also means:

~a day families are gathered for picnics enjoying hotdogs and hamburgers

~a day that traditionally marks the last day of summer even if the temperatures are still hot

~a date on the calander that fashionista's declare it's wrong to wear white after

~if you're one of the lucky - a day off

Happy Labor Day!!

cat nap

2008-08-29T06:00:00.001-07:00

Oreo

seemed like yesterday

2008-08-28T18:39:00.004-07:00

Today is my nephew's birthday ~ 33 years old. I remember when I used to babysit the little blonde toehead boy, I can't believe how the years have flown by. He now is married to a wonderful women and has three energic boys.

Hope you had a great day Shawn. Sorry we couldn't be there to celebrate with you.

Love,
Aunt Linda

golden sunset

2008-08-28T06:54:00.000-07:00

what’s cooking wednesday – pesto sauce

2008-08-27T08:13:00.000-07:00

This weeks What's Cooking Wednesday isn't a recipe for a dish but for a sauce that can be made in a big batch and frozen. Nothing says summer like pesto sauce.

Pesto can have many variations from the type of basil you use to the type of nuts. So don't feel bound to use the typical ingredients. I've also seen pesto made out of parsley, cilantro, arugala, etc.

My pesto sauce uses basil and roasted walnuts. I actually prefer the walnut over the traditional Pinole nut (pine nut) but do make it at times when I have them handy. I've also used almonds.

Here is my no measurement pesto, depending on how much of the main ingredient you have (basil) will depend on how much other ingredients you use. Also depends on your love of garlic, etc.

Pesto Sauce
~Basil - a lot of it
~Garlic - 2+ cloves
~Parmigiano Cheese - 1/4 cup
~Pecorino Romano - 1/2 cup
~Walnuts - roasted - 1 cup
~Extra Virgin Olive Oil

In a food processor put in basil, garlic, cheeses, and half the walnuts. I like to have a bit of bigger pieces of walnuts in the sauce so I add the remaining walnuts when I have only 2-4 pulses left to go on the food processor.

Process those ingredients until it comes together. Stop and scrap the sides of bowl if needed. Once items are mixed and minced really well drizzle in the olive oil while continuing to blend. Pour in oil until it's the consistency of a thick cream soup. Add remaining walnuts and pulse until they are small pieces but not pulverized.

I like to make a big batch of pesto and put it in small Tupperware containers to put into the freezer to use during the rest of the year. I put a thin layer of olive oil on top and leave room in the container for it to expand during the freezing process.

Pesto Sauce Uses:
~obvious one, over pasta
~add a couple of heaping tablespoons to a béchamel or cheese sauce for a pasta or lasagna
~spread on bruschetta
~make it thinner and use as a dip with pieces of good Italian bread

roma, italia

2008-08-26T21:39:00.006-07:00

I've been lazy and busy, not sure which to use as my excuse for not blogging so you choose one. I know I still owe you a blog on my house makeover (and I promise it's coming), soon my dear readers, soon. You won't be disappointed if I go by the reactions of visitors to my humble abode. Am I whetting your appetite? I really don't mean to tease you.

Here are some photos of Rome on my first trip to Italy in September 2004. I actually journaled on that trip which I'm really glad I did. Having never journaled before I wrote down every thought, feeling, sight, smell, taste, etc. I don't think that is the intent of journaling but it sure takes me back when I read it. My mom graciously typed my journal for me as my vision took a bad turn in 2005 which made reading challenging. The end results was 50+ page Word document. I told you I journaled everything. I will post this in the future, it may turn out to be a month worth of posts since it's so long but there were some funny moments. The movie title 'Lost in Translation' would be the best way to describe it.

I was using my son’s digital camera on this trip and it was okay. The pictures aren't as sharp as they could be but that could be due to the picture taker and not the camera. I've since invested in a digital camera of my own, still doesn't man the pictures are any better. Enjoy a trip the streets of Rome....

august 24, 1957

2008-08-24T15:25:00.005-07:00

Today is my parents 51st wedding anniversary. Wow, hard to believe it's been 51 years, I'm very proud of their accomplishment. In this day and age when people change spouses as often as they change shoes, it's quite an accomplishment.

Last year my sisters and I threw a big 50th bash, fun was had by all. Here is a picture of them on their 'big' day in 1957. Isn't it a great photo. They both were beautiful people then and still are now. It's nice to know I have good genes to pull from, I may need them in the coming years.

Happy Anniversary Mom & Dad.

Love you both,

Pete

what’s cooking wednesday – caramelized peaches

2008-08-20T17:56:00.003-07:00

With peaches ripe and in season it's a great time to enjoy them. When I was a wee youngin I remember we would can peaches to use during the winter months. We'd also can apricots, cucumbers, and sometimes tomatoes.

I would love to live in the same town as my family and be able to spend time with them and partake in a family activity of canning fruits and veggies. My dad would be manning the propane burners that we would use for the canning pots so as not to heat up the house. Everyone gathered around the tables, peeling, chopping, filling the jars, and chatting up a storm. I must say it was a tad different when I was smaller, I didn't have those warm fuzzy feelings.

My sisters and I would complain about having to do this 'chore'. Peach juice would cover your arms, standing your back would get tired, and it seemed like an endless task when we really wanted to go play or watch cartoons. It seemed like the crates of whatever we were canning would never end.

If we were canning cucumbers we'd need to peel a ton of garlic and cut up fresh dill. I did really enjoy the smell of fresh dill stored in the garage waiting for canning day even though I knew what work was ahead, but don't tell my mom, cuz we complained a lot. Us girls must have given every excuse in the book trying to get out of doing this, but usually to no avail.

When we'd cut open a peach and the pit split in half exposing the almond shape seed we'd give it a taste because it looked just like an almond. Yuck! It was sooo bitter, my parents would get a good laugh, but that only happens once as we weren't dumb. I did that too with olives when my dad canned them.

Oh, what memories. Ok, back to the dish.

I found some yummy white peaches at the market the other day and picked some up. One evening I wanted something a little tastier then just a plain peach so I decided to heat them up and caramelize them making a nice reduction to go on top.

Again no measurements but it's too easy to mess up. Though I'd play around with the juices you use as mine was a little on the sweet side, I bet a touch of citrus would have been good.

Caramelized Peaches

-Peaches

-Apple juice

-Amaretto Liqueur

-Amaretti Cookies

Half peaches and take out pit. In a non-stick skillet pour in the juice(s) that you want to use (see above comment). Set peaches cut side down into juice and bring to a simmer. You can turn peaches over for a bit to cook skin side. When liquid has reduced pull off the burner and add the liqueur and stir. Put back onto heat and let cook a bit longer until it's to the thickness you want

At this point I put them on a dish, drizzled with the glaze and topped with crumbled amaretti cookies. It was good. It would have been even better if I'd have melted a cold pat of butter into the reduction or a tablespoon or two of heavy cream. Mmmm.

A BIG scoop of ice cream or gelato would make it even better. I'd like to say I was trying to be good but I really didn't have any of that in the house. Had I I'm sure I'd have gone all out.

Tip: I did not peel the peaches before cooking them. If they are fresh and in season you won't need to but if you are making them for guests I would. It would give it a more finished look.

Buon Appetito

Today’s Temperature
High: 106°F/41°C
Low: 79°F/26°C

Humidity: 15%

hello, anyone home?

2008-08-17T07:28:00.006-07:00

I know I've been absent of late but rest assured I haven’t fallen off the face of the earth.

I've been sucked into the Olympics but will resurface soon. With them showing my favorite events (swimming, gymnastics, etc.) at 10pm has thrown my routine out of whack. Pox on NBC. After the final gymnastics tonight the events I enjoy watching are pretty much over. I can then start getting more sleep, getting to work on time, and blogging more.

bejing2008.com

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you come back. I promise there will be activity again.

let the game's begin...

2008-08-08T13:51:00.000-07:00

I'm slacking in posting lately and I've even been playing hooky at work too. You know there are times you just have to stop and go do some other activities. Stop and smell the roses, as the ole proverb goes.

Wednesday my wonderful son took me to a D-Backs baseball game. It was a day game so I left work at 12:00, put on my D-backs shirt and we met up at Chase Field ballpark. We had a lovely day watching baseball, eating hotdogs, and chatting. With his busy work schedule we just don't get the opportunity to sit down and catch up, I really do miss that.

Randy Johnson was pitching that day so we were happy. It was a really good game even though the Diamond Backs lost. We had a great day.

After the baseball game that night when I was at home relaxing I received a phone call from a friend asking if I wanted to join her and 4 others to go to the Arizona Cardinal's football pre-season game.

I enjoy football and am a San Francisco 49ers fan. I have never cared for the AZ Cardinals due to the team owners and the fact that they have never been a good team. They had just finished a new stadium a year ago and heard it was really nice so I took the chance to go see it for myself. The price was right too, FREE! Love it.

Well, the Cardinal's lost (not surprised) but had a good time chatting with everyone. Stadium wasn't as spectacular as I had expected but I can now say that I've been there.

So, I believe my attending sporting events have come to an end. Now, it is time for the Olympics to begin. I love watching them but not to the point of taping the events. GO U.S.A.

I have not forgotten... In a previous post I said I was going to post about my home remodel/redo. I didn't forget and will be posting it real soon, stay tuned.

what’s cooking wednesday – baked apples

2008-08-07T14:39:00.005-07:00

Yes, I know its Thursday and I'm just posting my What's Cooking Wednesday recipe but I've been very busy, see tomorrow's blog.

Here is a quick recipe for baked apples that came out yummy and gooey. If you have another dish in the oven this is a great one to put in to share the heat. It's time in the oven depends on the heat of the oven. It is a very forgiving recipe.

I'm giving the recipe for one baked apple; you can multiply the ingredients per the quantity you want to make.

Baked Apples
1 Apple, I used Gala, a soft apple works best
1 tsp. of Apricot Jam
1 tsp. cream cheese
1 tsp. brown sugar
1 pat butter

Take a melon baller (is that a word?) and core the center of the apple out leaving the bottom in so all the melty goodness doesn't run out. Spoon in this order; jam, cream cheese, brown sugar, and top with butter.

Bake at 350° for 35 - 45 minutes. Check to see if the apple is soft and looks somewhat golden. Kinda like squeezing the Charmin.

This would go really well with a scoop of gelato or ice cream. My apples were average size and I ate two. They are good. Hope you enjoy them, let me know if you try it. Of course you can switch the jams, cheese, etc. There are some very creative cooks out there.

Buon Appetito

Today’s Temperature
High: 104°F/40°C
Low: 81°F/27°C
Humidity: 21%

a 'cool' weekend

2008-08-04T22:51:00.006-07:00

With the temperatures rising here in the Phoenix area (114°F/46°C) it was time to get out of dodge and head for the hills.

A girlfriend moved up to Flagstaff (2 hours North of Phoenix) last year and told me to visit anytime. So, I decided to take her up on that offer to come for a visit and cool off. Flagstaff sits at a cool 7,000 feet above sea level. This meant the temperatures were 20° less then the valley floor.

I left work early on Friday and headed North on I-17. It wasn't long before the desert scrub and cacti were left behind and pine trees were taking its place.

I was born and raised in Northern California (not the Bay Area but the real Northern California) about an hour south of the Oregon border. I'm used to tall trees and driving in the mountain hills. I had forgotten how wonderful it was. Leave the hustle bustle of city life (traffic, noise, cement) and enjoy the beautiful outdoors. I could feel my body as it started to relax.

I forgot how the sky is blanketed with stars at night; when living in a metropolitan area they get washed out. The whooshing sound of the wind as it passes through the tall trees. The smell of fresh air. No traffic.

We barbequed outside and have wonderful dinners, went and saw erupted volcano’s, Indian ruins, bought organic vegetables at the farmer's market, and the arboretum.

Here are some pictures from my weekend.

Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument

Wupatki Pueblo Ruins

The Arboretum at Flagstaff

Clouds

Hope you had a great weekend too!!

buon compleanno mom

2008-08-01T06:17:00.002-07:00

I’d like to send out birthday wishes to my mom on her special day. I hope she has a day of pampering and fun.

I wish I could spend the day with her, we’d probably go out to lunch then go relax and get pedicures and stop off for a coffee when we’re done. A fun girl’s day out.

Mom, we have a date for the next time I’m home.

May your day be as special as you are to me.

Buon Compleanno Mom

where did the time go?

2008-07-31T00:45:00.000-07:00

July 31st, can you believe that the month of July is over? Where did the time go? Didn’t I just stop writing 2007 on that occasional check that I wrote? As I look at the calendar it tells me that there is only 153 days left in 2008, less till Christmas. Wasn’t it just yesterday that we were ringing in the New Year and making those never kept resolutions?

I’m not one to spend much time pondering how quickly the calendar pages are turned unless I have a trip to some wonderful place planned. What made me stop and think about where the times gone? At work I’m already scheduling meetings into November. Having to make sure they’re not scheduled too close to the 4-day Thanksgiving holiday; some people take the entire week off. WHAT Thanksgiving, but it’s only July!!

Here the little kiddos started back to school this week. Our school district is semi-year round so the summer vacation is approximately 8-10 weeks long. I’m used to school starting around the Labor Day holiday, that one holiday marks a lot of things.

1. School starting
2. You don’t wear white any longer
3. It’s the last summer holiday
4. Falls coming

Soon you’re buying Halloween candy, before you know it there’s a stuffed bird on your table and you have an urge to gorge yourself as you thumb through the ads to go Christmas shopping. Oh, what we have to look forward to.

So goodbye July I wish you’d take the hot weather with you but we’ll be stuck with that for another couple of months yet.

what’s cooking wWednesday – orange roughy with a dijon mustard and panko breadcrumb crust

2008-07-30T06:37:00.001-07:00

In an effort to eat a little lighter I bought a bag of frozen orange roughy and salmon at Costco last week. Yep, I will be eating fish until I grow gills and fins.

So I took a little of one recipe and a little of another and came up with orange roughy with a Dijon mustard and panko breadcrumb crust. Sauté baby spinach with sliced garlic, peperoncino, with a touch of balsamic vinegar at the end. Sautéed zucchini planks in the leftover balsamic juice.

Again there’s no exact recipe or amounts, which seems to be a trend with my recipes but they usually are pretty flexible. Give it a try.

Orange Roughy with Dijon Mustard and Panko Breadcrumb Crust
Orange roughy or any mild white fish
Dijon mustard
Panko breadcrumbs
Parsley, dried
Salt
Pepper

Heat oven to 450°. In a flat container big enough to dredge the fish in add breadcrumbs, dried parsley, salt, and pepper. Pat fish dry and spread a thin coat of Dijon mustard on both sides. Lay each filet on the breadcrumb mixture and press so a layer is formed on both sides.

Place the fish on a foil lined baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray. Bake until cooked as preferred, ~10-15 minutes. Serve with lemon wedge.

Buon Appetito

arugula - love it!

2008-07-29T05:57:00.000-07:00

I might have mentioned in another post that I love arugula. Arugula is a spicy peppery lettuce that has a distinct taste that either you love or hate. It’s also known around the world as rocket, rucola, and rocquette.

I grow arugula in my summer garden which is planted in February. It’s an easy lettuce to grow, sprouts within days and within a week or two you can pick baby arugula which isn’t as strong tasting as when it gets bigger.

When I travel in Italy one of my favorite things to look forward to when eating is to see if there is rucola on the menu. It’s listed as an Insalata on the menu and typically what you’ll get is a bowl of rucola lettuce and a wedge of lemon. Thanks it, plain and simple. I can honestly say that it tastes so much better in Italy then anywhere else I’ve had it and I know it’s because it’s always served at it’s freshest.

I like to squeeze the lemon over the rucola, add a little olive oil and if available sprinkle on some fresh parmesan or pecorino cheese. Oh, it’s so good.

So why am I writing so much about arugula you ask? Well, with the temperatures so hot here in the sunny southwest arugula usually lasts until early May. Then no more arugula. This is not a typical lettuce that is carried in the stores but one store, Sprouts, carries it on occasion when in season.

Well, arugula is not in season right now so imagine how happy I was when I saw it on the shelf at Sprout’s yesterday. Yahoo. Happy camper here.

If you haven’t tried arugula I encourage you to give it a go. If you don’t like eating it as a salad put it in soup, stew, or pasta dish. You won't be disappointed. Try it instead of spinach, a little change a pace.

Do you have a favorite food that can’t be found often?

making a difference

2008-07-28T04:10:00.000-07:00

Randy Pausch, professor at Carnegie Mellon University, passed away Friday, Sept. 25th after his courageous, positive, inspiring battle with pancreatic cancer.

If you haven’t seen the video of ‘The Last Lecture’ he gave last September, take the 16 minutes and watch it. It’s been viewed by millions on YouTube, you can watch it here. He also had a blog which you can find here.

He was too young to leave this earthly world but how he lived his life and the number of people he touched definitely made a positive impact. Can I say this about my life?

My thoughts and prayers go out to Randy’s family. God speed Randy.

unexpected welcome

2008-07-27T19:25:00.000-07:00

Today was a day to do some things around the house. You know those tasks that need to get done or you’d fail the white glove test. I call them chores. Since I’m not a lover of house cleaning but find it necessary the word chore fits perfectly.

I start the first load of laundry, move the watering hoses in the front and backyard on the trees make some toast for breakfast and sit and watch Sunday Morning. Load my dishes into the dishwasher and start it up. Go put clothes in the dryer and start another load. Oh, get distracted by the Pottery Barn catalog for a few minutes; then move on.

During this dance of chores, distraction, back on track, etc. I get a phone call from a dear friend asking if I’m able to do lunch. What a pleasant surprise. Was I able to get away, let me think chores or lunch with a friend, chores or lunch with a friend? Yep, I’m free for lunch, wouldn’t you be? She gave me several hours’ notice which is nice when you’re in the middle of something and you still need to jump in the shower.

What a lovely unexpected break. We went to one of my favorite Asian places, Pei Wei. Between the constant conversations of what we’ve been up to we also covered politics, religion, movies, work, future plans between our munching down on lunch. She had the DanDan Noodle bowl, a spicy dish of noodles, ground chicken, bean sprouts, and zucchini, very tasty. I enjoyed the Asian chicken salad, cabbage and lettuce with poached chicken pieces, tomatoes, cucumbers, sesame seeds with tangy ginger vinaigrette, with wonton strips, also very tasty. We shared an order of crispy wontons with a sweet/spicy chili sauce.

The food was great as well as the company. We had a great afternoon. I took this picture of the food because that’s what bloggers do, right? Yes, my friend thought I was nuts.

These unexpected moments we need to take advantage of and enjoy, life’s too short. I hope you get the chance to spend some unexpected time with a friend. Maybe it’s time to call that one person you’ve been meaning too, don’t wait.

Today’s Temperature
High: 104°F/40°C
Low: 79°F/26°C
Humidity: 34%

pienza, italy

2008-07-24T06:33:00.000-07:00

I’ve having a blogging block and can’t seem to think of anything to write about nor seem to find the time to post. Since the old saying ‘Pictures say a thousand words’ I’m going to take that to heart and post pictures. I’m a visual person anyways and have always enjoyed looking at the pictures in magazines instead of reading the articles.

Pienza is a flat (unusual for Italian hill towns) easy to walk and has a quaint feel. Many small shops to poke your noise into, some delicious places to eat at, along with the proverbial church or two. The outer walk way gives you great views to snap photos of the beautiful Tuscan valley.

If you love pecorino cheese then Pienza is a must visit on your next trip to Italy. It literally smells of pecorino as you walk down the cobblestone streets, it could be overwhelming if you didn’t know the succulent savory delight that was awaiting you at any of the many cheese stores. Walking around town and sampling all the many types of pecorino with a bit of wine is my kind of fun.

My parents and I really enjoyed Pienza and we had a very enjoyable picnic in a small park at the edge of town. We dined on a lovely park bench under a huge shade tree with some boar salami, pecorino cheese with truffles, pecorino cheese with jalapeño pepper, and a bottle of wine. Relaxing, yummy, and very reasonably priced.

So without further adieu here are some pictures of Pienza, Italy.

what’s cooking wednesday – chili con carne and cream cheese dip

2008-07-23T23:19:00.005-07:00

There isn’t much cooking with this appetizer other than nuking it in the microwave for a couple of minutes but it sure is quick, easy, and finger lickin’ good. This dip seems to always show up at a super bowl party or bunko night and there’s never any left. The most strenuous task is getting out the can opener and opening up one can of chili con carne. Difficult huh?

Chili Con Carne and Cream Cheese Dip
1 can of Chili Con Carne without beans (regular or spicy)
8 oz. Cream Cheese
Tortilla Chips or Frito Corn Chip Scoops

Open can of chili and put in microwaveable container. Cut cream cheese into pieces and add to chili. Microwave for one minute. Stir. Microwave another minute, stir. Heat up until cream cheese and chili are combined.

Put into a bowl, bring out the chips and enjoy.

Buon Appetito

There are several variations to this recipe. I’ve seen Velveeta cheese used in place of cream cheese. It’s all good because it’s not good for you, isn’t that how it works?

Do have another way you make this dip?

Today’s Temperature

High: 106°F/44°C

Low: 83°F/28°C
Humidity: 41%

ole'

2008-07-21T17:51:00.004-07:00

I had a lone avocado sitting sadly in the frig and being that it was a weekend afternoon thought a quick little appetizer with a ice cold adult beverage was what a hot summer afternoon called for.

So I rummaged in the frig and found a few other ingredients and Ole’ guacamole dip was made and I added a refreshing margarita along with it. I’ll give you the ingredients I use to make guacamole but this is one of those dishes that you can add or subtract per your liking.

I must say that for my guac dip I have to have cilantro, kosher salt, and lime juice in it or it just doesn’t taste right. I’ve tried some substitutions when I didn’t have my required ingredients and I didn’t care for it. I tried lemon juice in place of lime, nope not the same. Replace cilantro with parsley, no way José.

So, now that we are in the dog days of summer buy a couple of avocado’s and let them ripen on your counter and be ready for some awesome guacamole dip when they’re ready.

Guacamole Dip
Ripe Avocado
Cilantro
Lime Juice
Red Onion – finely minced
Green Onion – white & green portion
Tomatoes – finely chopped – squeeze out juice & seeds
Jalapeno – to taste
Kosher Salt – to taste
Tortilla Chips of your choice

Editors Note: Yes, I was in need of a visit to my manicurist in a bad way. Had to share a bite with my readers so this picture just had to be taken. My nails looked beautimous the next day.

And of course we don’t want to forget our adult beverage which as anyone in the southwest can attest is needed with guacamole, a nice cold margarita.

I’m not an expert on margarita’s but I did 3 parts margarita mix to 1 part Tequila. Tweak to your taste. I prefer my margarita on the rocks but you can throw the concoction into a blender and add ice and you have yourself a frozen margarita. This gives me a headache, I must drink too fast. If you like margaritas in a salted glass (I don't) take a wedge of lime and run it on the rim of your glass and dip the glass in coarse salt. Decorate glass with a lime wedge. Cheers!

Today’s Temperature
High: 102°F/39°C
Low: 82°F/28°C
Humidity: 29%

villa reale - lucca, italy

2008-07-19T07:41:00.005-07:00

When I was in Italy in 2006 I took a week long Italian class that was disastrous, but I’ll save that for another post. The class was in one of my favorite towns, Lucca. I love love love Lucca and I rank it right at the top of my favorite small towns in Italy list. My favorite large city is Florence.

One of the excursions during the week long Italian lessons was a field trip to Villa Reale located a short distance outside the walls of Lucca. The instructor spoke Italian the whole time explaining what everything was giving the intermediate and advanced students some good lessons. For us beginners it was useless so I roamed the property taking pictures. It was a beautiful villa, can you imagine being the gardener?

Here are some of my pictures.

teen no more

2008-07-18T06:25:00.002-07:00

here is a young lady in our family and today is her special day. I’m sad that I can’t spend it with her but there is a thousand miles that separates us. This young lady is my niece Ms. Jenn and today she no longer is a teenager, it’s the BIG 2-0 for her. I can barely remember when I turned 20; that was just a couple of years ago. Ok, maybe more than a couple of years but whose counting besides my sister Tam?

Our Miss Jenn is a smart, beautiful, and intelligent young lady who has the thickest brunette locks that I am insanely jealous over. Why oh why can’t I have some of that?

Jenn I wish you the best day ever. You’re near and dear to my heart and I love you bunches. Happy 20th Birthday!!

Buon Compleanno!

PS. When are you going to come live with Aunt Linda??

Today’s Temperature

High: 110°F/44°C

Low: 88°F/31°C

Humidity: 32%

making a difference

2008-07-17T06:13:00.003-07:00

If you’ve visited Positano, Italy you won’t quickly forget the beauty of this town that clings to the mountainside by its finger tips. There are amazing picturesque views for that perfect photo. I’ve not had the pleasure of visiting Positano during my visits to Italy but I’ve read enough and seen many pictures to know what a beautiful place it is.

Nikki over at The Life I Chose writes about Positano and her life in Positano, you should check it out. In her July 14th blog entry she mentions some cement damns they are proposing to build through the valley tearing down all the trees, woodland, plant life and ancient pathways, and destroying many species of rare ferns, flora and creatures. You can read about it here.

She is asking for those who love Positano to stop by her blog and sign a petition to stop the damns from being built. If you have a minute please zip over to Nikki's blog and help out.

Today’s Temperature
High: 106°F/41°C
Low: 82°F/28°C

what’s cooking wednesday – gnocchi with a breadcrumb, butter, and sage sauce

2008-07-16T21:45:00.004-07:00

Wow, I can’t believe it has been two weeks since my last post. I have no good excuse other than works been really crazy and I’m been exhausted when I get home. A week ago I got a kink in my neck and it progressively got worse, A couple of massages didn’t help and after I could barely turn my head I decided to see the doctor. I was also was getting a little crabby at work, not good. Ahhh drugs. Boy did I sleep like a baby last night.

Ok, so that explains my absence. I’ll try and be a better blogger.

This recipe is quick if you have the gnocchi already made. Though gnocchi isn’t hard to make I make extra and put in the freezer or purchase it, makes for a quick meal. Make some breadcrumbs by using day old french bread, baguette, or good Italian bread putting it through the food processor. I process it until there are crumbs and some slightly coarser sizes. I put the extra in the freezer for the next time.

Gnocchi with a Breadcrumb, Butter, and Sage Sauce
Gnocchi
Butter
Breadcrumbs
Sage leaves
Kosher salt
Pecorino cheese

In a sauce pan melt the butter with the sage leaves over medium heat. Once it’s melted sprinkle in a handful of breadcrumbs and a pinch of salt. Continuously stir until the breadcrumbs are toasted a golden brown.* Add the gnocchi. You can loosen up the sauce by adding some of the pasta water to your preference. Remove from heat. Top with finely grated pecorino cheese.

*I remove the sage leaves before I add the gnocchi, the fried sage leaves can be used as a garnish or a little snack for the cook. You deserve it!

Buon Appetito

Today’s Temperature
High: 109°F/43°C
Low: 83°F/29°C
Humidity: 30%

what’s cooking wednesday – southwestern chicken caesar salad

2008-07-02T18:42:00.004-07:00

Wow, I just realized it’s been a whole week since I’ve posted last. Yikes, I wish I could blame it on a vacation but I can’t. I guess I’ve just been busy.

This week’s recipe is one that was served in our cafeteria at work and I found it so good that I wanted to share it with you. It fits right in with my trying to stay cool in these hot summer days. I won’t have measurements for this salad but you well honed cooks will be able to figure it out as well as those just introducing themselves to a kitchen.

Please note that as a true blogger that I’m becoming I had my camera with me at work; I whipped it out and took a photo. Have done this many a time in a restaurant or trattoria but it felt a little weird doing this at work; the things we’ll do for a photo. Please note I even made sure to capture the plastic bowl and fork in the photo so you can get a little ambiance of my ‘at work’ dining. I didn’t include any other surroundings as I didn’t want you to see how pathetic it is that I eat at my desk and read blogs during lunch.

What really made this recipe are the cornbread croutons. I’ve never had these before and I must say it was a very nice change from the ole regular croutons, of course it went perfectly with the southwest theme. Let me know if you try out this salad and what you think.

Southwestern Chicken Caesar Salad
Mixed Lettuce
Cumin Chicken – seasoned with cumin and cooked - diced, sliced, shredded, or however you like it
Jalapeño Jack Cheese - grated
Tomatoes - diced
Onions - sliced
Chipotle Ranch Dressing (ranch dressing & chipotle chili’s in adobe sauce)
Cornbread Croutons
Margarine
Salt/Pepper

Mix all your ingredients together and add dressing to taste. Add croutons.

Croutons – the chef in our cafeteria (yes I asked) made a basic cornbread recipe but made them in a 1” layer and cut into cubes once cooled. The cooled croutons were tossed with margarine and salt/pepper and baked until crisp. These really made the salad.

Chipotle Ranch Dressing – I didn’t think to ask the chef how he made his dressing but I think a good ranch dressing would work and add the liquid (strain out the bits) of the chipotle chili’s until it’s as spicy as you like it. If you can’t get enough heat or there isn’t enough liquid just puree the chilis, press through a find strainer and use that.

Buon Appetito

Today’s Temperature
High: 111°F/43°C

Low: 82°F/27°C

what’s cooking wednesday’s – feta cheese omelet

2008-06-25T12:56:00.004-07:00

I’m still trying to stay away from turning on the oven and keeping things light and simple. I’ve made this omelet for breakfast or dinner; it’s quick, easy, and tasty. It’s one of those that you can add or subtract ingredients and it always comes out good.

Feta Cheese Omelet
2-3 eggs, beaten
2 Tbs. Bacon Bits - real
1 Tbs. Parsley, coarsely chopped
¼ cup Feta Cheese (more or less to your liking)
Salt and Pepper

Beat eggs in a bowl with parsley, salt, pepper, and bacon. Heat up a non-stick skillet, when pan is hot spray with PAM. Pour in eggs and let cook (you can speed up this process by putting a lid on). Once firm and easy to flip gently flip over the round disk. Add the feta cheese on ½ of the circle of eggs and flip other half over covering the cheese. Cook for 1 minute on each side until brown. Slide omelet onto a plate, garnish with parsley and feta (optional).

Serve with orange juice or mimosa (morning) or a light white wine (evening) and some sliced fruit or a salad and you have a simple meal that takes no more then 10-15 minutes from beginning to end.

Note:
~Feta cheese is not a melting cheese, in the omelet the cheese gets soft.

~I eat my eggs well done; you may think I’ve murdered the eggs in the above recipe like my parents do but I can’t stand moist or runny. Adjust egg consistency to your liking.

~I use Hormel Real Bacon Bits when in a hurry (I can only imagine what Julia Child’s would say) but using ham, pancetta, real bacon, etc. would also be good, more time consuming since you have to cook it first. I’ve also made it without the bacon, still very good.

Buon Appetite

Today’s Temperature
High: 106°F/43°C

Low: 77°F/25°C

fragoline ~ those wild things

2008-06-20T16:21:00.000-07:00

The other day in a blog I read, Barb & Art Live in Italy!, Barb posted a link here about a site called Italian Notebook where you can sign up and get a daily blurb on happenings around Italy.

I signed up and each day I get a lovely email that allows me to day dream about a beautiful country that I have come to love its culture and customs. It also has tidbits of information that I might not have known about Italy. If you aren't signed up to receive the Italian Notebook you may want to check it out.

I've found out that in Scalea there are mosaic wonders that date back to the 3rd century B.C. Read about it here. Cherrye at My Bella Vita just wrote about a trip she took to Scalea, you can check out Cherrye's website here.

Did you know that there is a group called the Miracle Players that put on Historical Hysterical plays during the summer in the Roman Forum area? Think the Monty Python troupe wearing togas quoting Virgil in a Mel Brooks movie. Read about it here.

This week in one of the Italian Notebook articles it was about the small town Nemi approximately 20 kms South of Rome that is filled with the fragrance of Fragoline, wild strawberries. Read about it here.

The mention of fragoline took me back to May 2007 when I was in Florence and ate at Trattoria Sostanza (Il Troia). It was highly recommended by a fellow traveler I had met. I always take advantage of these recommendations; I haven't been led astray yet. They recommended the Chicken Breast cooked in Brown Butter and a slice of a Meringue Cake.

The chicken arrived on a plate with two plump juicy breasts perfectly cooked in brown butter. It was cooked to perfection, tender and mouth watering that I couldn’t put down my fork. Really I did try. Oh, how I wish I could have some now.

It was suggested we also try the meringue cake. I don’t know the official name of this cake but do ask for it. This cake had layers of yummy goodness in it along with chocolate (never a bad thing) and of course meringue. The magic touch was the fragoline on top. These tiny red fruit about the size of your thumb nail aren’t the prettiest of berries especially when you put them up against their bid brother the regular strawberry but don’t give up on them.

These tiny strawberries had more flavor and sweetness in them then any strawberry I’ve ever tasted. The whole dessert was memorizing and I believe there was moaning involved too. I shared a piece with someone in our group but I silently wished I would have acted like a little piggy and had a whole slice of my own.

I always recommend Trattoria Sostanza to friends that will be in Florence and tell them to try the meringue cake. You might decide to share as its a little pricey, €8/slice. Here is a picture of the cake:

Trattoria Sostanza (close to SMN Termini)
Via Del Porcellana, 25/R
50123 Firenze, Italy
+39 055 212691

The food is served on individual plates with no pomp or circumstance which fits the ambiance of the restaurant. You will not find fancy designer food here, just good ole’ down home cooking. The restaurant is small and the tables are set in a communal setting, great way to meet the locals or others from around the world. There are two seating’s, 7pm and 9pm, I’ve read that you’ll dine with tourists at 7pm and Italians at 9pm. I recommend you make reservations, this place is busy.

Today’s Temperature
High: 113°F/44°C
Low: 80°F/27°C

what’s cooking wednesday – torte di miele d’edgardo (edgardo’s apple cake)

2008-06-18T16:46:00.001-07:00

Call the fire department; it’s a five-alarm fire. There’s a lot of smoke and flames over here and I can’t seem to get it under control. Wait, hold on, I’ll try one more time. In hale, fill the lungs completely, make sure I’m angled just right, okay now exhale. Whew. Okay, flames are out.

Yes, another year has come and gone and one more candle has been added to the cake. I was fortunate to have been born on Father’s Day many years ago, yes I'm a daddy's girl. Can't think of anything better than that.

Okay, now onto What's Cooking Wednesday. This week's recipe is called a cake but has more apples then batter. This recipe came from Ciao Italia's Mary Ann Espposito. You really get the fresh apple taste with this recipe. The apricot jam you brush on the cake after it comes out of the oven really brightens up the flavor and adds a glaze onto this cake. Add a scoop of your favorite vanilla ice cream or gelato and you have yourself a tasty dessert.

Edgardo’s Apple Cake
4 large eggs @ room temperature
½ cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
¼ cup of heavy cream or sour cream
1 tbs. grated lemon zest
¾ cup unbleached flour
¾ tsp. baking powder
Pinch salt
6 cups golden delicious apples (about 4 or 5 large) – peeled, thinly sliced
2 tbs. warm apple jelly or apricot jam

In a large bowl beat the eggs with the sugar with a hand held mixer until the mixture is fluffy and lemon colored. Beat in the vanilla and heavy or sour cream. Stir in the lemon zest.

On a sheet of wax paper sift the flour, baking powder, and salt together. On medium speed beat the flour mixture into the egg mixture. Fold in the apples.

Pour the batter into a foil lined 8” square pan that has been buttered and floured. Cut the foil longer then the pan so you can use it to lift out the cake after baking. Bake in a 350° oven for 35-40 minutes or until the apples are nicely browned.

Transfer the cake to a wire rack. Brush the top of the cake with the warm apricot jam. Let the cake cool to warm. Lift the cake out of the pan with the foil. Carefully remove the foil and discard. Serve the cake cut into squares. A scoop of vanilla ice cream (or gelato) enhances this apple cake.

Notes: I’ve peeled and not peeled the apples and the texture and taste is much better if you peel the apples.

Today’s Temperature
High: 111°F/44°C
Low: 79°F/26°C

June - you are now singing with the angels . You will be missed but you are free ~ God Speed.

out of control

2008-06-17T23:15:00.005-07:00

Okay I admit it, I have an addiction. It’s a sickness, one that I haven’t tried to get control over but one that I have accepted. I’m thankful that this addiction is not of a chemical sense but there must be some chemical that is triggered in me when I’m close to my addiction. It’s neither an addiction that I find in a bottle, from a bookie, or in food. You see my addiction is tablecloths. Now stop laughing because this can be serious. One can only have so many tablecloths can’t they??

As someone who has only one dining room table, how many tablecloths does one need? I must have a couple of dozen but I won’t go count them for fear of embarrassment.

When I go shopping I don’t go looking for tablecloths but if I’m in a Bed Bath & Beyond, Target, Ross, Marshall’s, etc. I always gravitate towards the house wares section to see if there are any styles/colors that I like. I’m thankful as many times I find a pattern I really like but it’s not in the size I need. Whew. In the past I’ve bought a size that doesn’t fit any table that I own but because I really liked the pattern and was sure I’d find some use for it, I’d buy it. See, that’s called an addiction.

The other day I was cleaning out my tablecloth drawer. The drawer (36”w x 20”l x 8”d, no small cubby here) was packed plus there was some more in the hall closet. Oh my. Yes, it’s time to purge. Seeing that I bought a new table after my remodel and some of the tablecloths don’t fit the new size, I had to let go.

Through this process I found a very nice surprise. It brought back such vivid memories of my first trip to Italy. You see in the bottom of the drawer I found a bundle carefully wrapped in tissue paper. I sat down and carefully unfolded the tissue paper trying to remember what I had purchased. There in front of me were delicate handkerchiefs in different patterns, several placemats that I use as table toppers, and one white starched linen tablecloth with delicate embroidery with matching napkins and one beige linen tablecloth with a lot of crocheted details also with matching napkins.

When I read while researching for my trip to Italy that the ladies of Burano hand made the lace I knew without a doubt that I was going there. I had to see these linens that someone put their heart and soul into. I was enthralled with Burano, such a quaint island that you can walk 15 minutes in any direction and be on the other side. I loved that each house was painted a different color, bright melon next to pale mustard next to mauvy brown. It’s like each home owner put his hand in a bag and pulled out what color they would paint their homes.

I walked around the island enjoying each shop I came to admiring their wares. They were just beautiful. I found the linens that I wanted and made my purchase. This was my first real purchase in Italy (I had bought a printed picture from a street vendor in Florence for €5 but I don’t think this counts). The sales lady delicately wrapped my purchase in a light rose colored tissue paper secured with a printed sticker and then placed in a very sturdy brightly printed bag with handles tied with colored ribbon. I was surprised by the flourish that went into bagging my purchase knowing that in the U.S. it more then likely been put in a nondescript plastic bag.

The only downside of my purchase, I didn’t realize how heavy the bag of linen would be and that I had to hand carry this the remaining two weeks of my time in Italy as I only had a backpack and was using the train system most of the time. Some day soon I will post my journal of my first trip to Italy. I warn you it’s long but entertaining and would need to be posted in many installments.

I'm out to run some errands, what? no I'm not stopping at target... er, bye!

Today’s Temperature
High: 110°F / 43°C
Low: 81°F / 27°C

let the sunshine in...

2008-06-16T21:17:00.005-07:00

Okay, everyone lets hum together now, Let the Sunshine in, Let the Sunshine in, the sunshine in….. You remember the song from The Fifth Dimension (1969), oh the good ole days. I was pretty young when this was first recorded but I love this music.

When I was at the grocery store yesterday I found these lovely bundles of sunshine that I thought would be perfect in my foyer. Bring a little sunshine inside the house as I was not going outside to soak up any sun.

Bouquet of Sunshine

You see yesterday was a hot day (112°F/44°C) and when it’s that hot you just don’t want to be outside. I get outside early in the morning to water the garden, sit in the shade and enjoy a cup of coffee and maybe read, eat breakfast before I go inside for the rest of the day. You become like a hermit in the summer, turn up the air conditioner, shades drawn staying inside reading, watching movies, house work, etc. You just try and stay inside. It’s going to be this way until September. Oh you venture out to run errands, get the mail or the paper only to realize how darn hot it is. Don’t forget if there is a breeze it’s like a blow dryer in your face. Thankfully it’s a dry heat, really dry.

Here is a picture of my herb garden taken in early May. There is thyme, sage, marjoram, oregano, arugala, parsley, and basil. It’s been nice being able to walk outside and clip the herbs as you need them. The arugala is gone now as it’s too hot, the basil is growing very well and I will be making pesto pretty soon. Yum.

Herb Garden

The other day I was cooking gnocci with butter, sage, and breadcrumbs. I use a lot of sage as I love the flavor, it’s in the butter such a short time so the more the merrier. I put the butter in the pan and added the sage. Once the butter was bubbling I added a handful of breadcrumbs and a little bit of pecorino cheese. Stir this around until the gnocci is ready to be added and the breadcrumbs are toasted. At this point I picked out the sage before putting in the gnocci and placed it on a paper towel to toss out. Well, after I’d eaten and was cleaning up the kitchen I decided to taste the sage as it looked crispy. Man, was I surprised. I don’t think I’d ever had fried sage and this was very tasty. If you happen to have a bunch of sage this would make a great little appetizer or nibble in a bowl on the table. They don’t look pretty and my photo isn’t very good but they sure are good. Give them a try next time you have some extra sage around, let me know what you think.

Fresh Sage

Fried Sage

dad's day

2008-06-15T22:44:00.001-07:00

Dad, sorry to hear that things didn’t go so well at the Chili Cook-off, you'll get them next year! You’re the bestest dad, wish I could have spent the day with you.

Happy Father’s Day.

Love,
Pete

what’s cooking wednesday – light and tasty salad

2008-06-11T06:41:00.001-07:00

Now that the hot weather has arrived and decided to stick around for 4 months it’s time to prepare the dishes that don’t require turning on the oven. This salad is my creation but I’m sure some of you have made this too. But for today lets pretend that you haven’t and it’s a Linda original. :o) This takes little time and has lots of flavor. I use this to accompany a meal or sit and eat a big bowl as dinner. My sister has started making this a lot and even my niece, Miss Jenn in all her picky ways likes it. There’s hope for you yet Jenn.

Light & Tasty Salad
Spring Mix Lettuce
Garlic – 1 clove crushed
Extra Virgin Olive Oil ~4 Tbs.
Fresh Lemon Juice ~2 Tbs.
Pecorino Cheese – grated
Kosher Salt
Fresh Ground Pepper

In a bowl squeeze the juice of 1/2 of a lemon (remove pits if any), add crushed garlic, and salt & pepper. Drizzle olive oil into lemon as you whisk so it is emulsified. Taste it to see if it’s too lemony for you. If it is, add more olive oil. Once you have the taste to your liking add just a little finely grated pecorino romano chesse to give it a little creamy texture. Add lettuce as you toss making sure you coat it all. Add some pecorino romano cheese to the salad (about 6 passes on a fine grader) toss to mix. Add a little more cheese on top if needed and serve.

Buon Appetito

grillin' dude

2008-06-10T23:00:00.005-07:00

As American’s on Memorial Day we stop to remember those who sacrificed their lives for making our country free. It is also a day for baseball, hotdogs, apple pie, and Chevrolet. Anyone over 35 knows this catchy ad jingle, very clever Chevrolet. Another American pastime on Memorial Day for millions of families across the USA is to bar-b-que (BBQ).

There is no better way to enjoy a holiday then heating up the grill, cooking hotdogs and burgers along with eating potato salad, and drinking your favorite beverage. Hmmm, a good ole’ BBQ, sounds yummy to me.

Well I too decided to BBQ on this holiday, only problem was I got rid of my grill last February. Bummer dude. So I decided it was time to go get a new one. Now, I’m an intelligent educated person and decided to assemble the grill myself. Directions are included, no problemo. I figured it’d take me about 3 hours to put together.

The directions I mean pictures (I’m a visual person) were great and in three different languages, very easy to follow with French, Spanish, and Japanese lessons thrown in free. Wahoo. The screws they gave you to use are called Self Tapping Screws. I’m not going to go into a lot of detail here but let me tell you these screws were a pain in the a@@. I struggled for WAY too long and finally grabbed the power drill and took charge. Why I didn’t grab the drill sooner is beyond me. No really I am intelligent and educated.

It did not take me 3 hours to assembly the grill; it took me over 6 hours. 6 HOURS!! Needless to say after spending all day outside crawling all over the cement putting this ‘grill’ together I was cranky, tired, and sore. Was in no mood to BBQ so I went and grab some Take Out and a movie and called it a day. 6 HOURS!! but I really am over it.

And here is my new BBQ…

You know what the real kicker is? I haven’t even used the grill yet!!

what's in a name?

2008-06-07T23:19:00.003-07:00

When I decided to start a blog I had no idea what I was doing but I needed to come up with a name for it. I wanted a name that I could use no matter where life took me. I didn’t want it to be cute or serious but I did want it to have some reflection of me.

Well, I am an ice tea addict. There is nothing better than a tall glass filled with ice with a wedge of lemon squeezed into the glass and rubbed on the rim of the glass before filling it up with tropical flavored sun tea.

When I was in Italy I had to switch to coffee as it’s not easy to get a glass of ice let alone ice tea. It doesn’t help that I knew little Italian which made communication interesting.

I didn’t realize how much I missed ice tea until I came across the Hard Rock Café in Rome at the end of my trip. I must have consumed 2 gallons along with a buffalo chicken sandwich with fries. It was heaven.

I can drink ice tea 365 days of the year but when it gets really cold, yes it gets cold in Arizona, I turn to hot tea. Because of this addiction it felt right to use ice tea in my blog name. It doesn't reflect the content of the blog just he beverage of choice. So, that is why Ice Tea For Me became my blog name.

What is your favorite beverage?

How did you come up with your blog name?

on your special day

2008-06-06T15:37:00.005-07:00

There is someone dear in my life that I would like to take a moment on their special day to wish them a happy birthday.

Our relationship has changed over the years and it is now a friendship that I cherish more than anything on this earth. They know that I’d walk a million miles or lay down my life for them and I know they would do the same.

We chat on the phone regularly but due to distance and life schedules we don’t get to spend a lot of time together. When we do get together we have such a good time whether it’s dining out or just watching a movie.

We enjoy traveling together and we both seem to be able to tolerate each others idiosyncrasies. We do argue over the window seat on the plane, but I usually give in and give it up. Argh.

Together we’ve laughed, cried, and shared our disappointments and our dreams.

This treasured friend came into my life when I was a young adult and through the years has helped shape me into the person I am today. I can’t imagine what my life would have been like without them in it.

You see this special person is my son ‘Mr. T’. God blessed me on June 6th 1984 at 5:05am with a beautiful healthy baby boy. When Mr. T was a year old I became a single parent which had a big part in shaping our relationship today. He is a caring, loving, and affectionate son who has grown into a wonderful adult whom I’m very proud of.

So Mr. T here’s to a happy 24th birthday; may all your wishes and dreams come true.

Love,

Mom

chili peppers 1, 2, 3...

2008-06-05T06:21:00.006-07:00

I watched a couple of movie’s over the past several weeks and wanted to just mention them. I’m no reviewer just purely go on whether I enjoyed it or not. I’ll use the chili peppers for my rating system, 1 (not good) to 5 (very good).

The Rage in Paris (1938)
Starring: Danielle Darrieux, Douglas Fairbanks

It's not one of those classics that you never get tired of watching; enjoyed the vintage clothes, was a little long.

Crossfire Trail (2001)
Starring: Tom Selleck, Virginia Madsen
,,,
A good wild west movie, if not predicable good guy/bad guy. Tommy looks real good.

P.S. I Love You (2007)
Starring: Hilary Swank, Gerard Butler
,,,,
I thought this was a good movie, had some twists for a chick flick. My girlfriend hated it.

Mad Money (2008)
Starring: Diane Keaton, Queen Latifah, Katie Holmes,,
Movie okay, acting not so good. Honestly Diane Keaton is so covered up from chin to toes soon she'll have her face covered. I know that's how she dresses but it really stands out in this meeting.

Have you seen any good movies lately?

what’s cooking wednesday – prosciutto ravioli in a oregano or sage butter sauce

2008-06-04T08:16:00.003-07:00

If you don’t have time to make pasta dough (even though making pasta is not difficult) and have access to wonton wrappers then here is a quick ravioli recipe. I’ve made these ravioli’s with and without the prosciutto, they tasted great either way. This ravioli is light and delicate so you won’t want a heavy sauce. These freeze nicely for future use but make sure you freeze them in a single layer until they are frozen and then place in a container or bag.

Prosciutto Ravioli in a Oregano or Sage Butter Sauce
15 oz. ricotta cheese
1-10oz. pkg. frozen chopped spinach (thawed & squeezed dry)
4 oz. thinly sliced prosciutto, chopped
2 large egg yolks
¾ tsp. salt
½ tsp. fresh ground pepper
48 wonton wrappers
½ cup butter
3 tsp. fresh oregano or 6 sage leaves
Freshly grated pecorino romano cheese

Whisk together ricotta, spinach, prosciutto, egg yolks, salt, & pepper in a medium bowl to blend.

Place 1 tablespoon of filling in the center of a wonton wrapper. Brush the edge of the wrapper lightly with water. Fold wrapper in half forming a triangle making sure the edges are completely sealed.

Cook the ravioli’s in boiling salted water for 4 minutes (longer if they are frozen) gently transferring to a platter when done. Melt butter with fresh herbs and pour over ravioli’s. Sprinkle with pecorino cheese.

Buon Appetito

below expectations

2008-06-03T22:36:00.008-07:00

Have you been at a store and seen something that caught your eye and made you want to purchase it. It could have been the style of a dress, the scent of a perfume, the color of the produce, or the amazing price on the tag. We make purchases for a variety of reasons, we want it, we need it, we’re bored, it’s a bargain, we’re a compulsive shopper, etc., etc. Whatever the purchasing need or product what really frustrates me is that after we’ve spent the time and money to make these said purchases you get them home and they don’t meet your expectations. Maybe it’s because you didn’t want to try on that article of clothing at the store and it doesn’t fit. Maybe the sales clerk said that perfume smelled wonderful on you but when you get home your girlfriend tells you it smells like something your grandmother would wear. No offence to the grandmother’s out there.

Well, my pet peeve is fruits and vegetables. After traveling to Italy several times and enjoying all the wonderful produce at the markets or dishes at a restaurant that are in season it spoils you. You could say that Italy has raised the bar in quality, in my eyes. You ask, Linda why are you on this rant? Good question.

You see I bought some fruits/veggies at the store this past weekend, so I could ‘eat in’ more then ‘eating out’. See if I can change a few habits, save a little money in the process and eat healthier. All good and positive things to do, don’t you think? I’m pretty picky when selecting produce making sure they aren’t bruised, dried out, limp, or have bad spots – doesn’t everyone? So I’m looking over the bins of fruits and vegetables and decide on asparagus, spinach, raspberries, apricots, shallots, and zucchini. Here is a photo of some of the apricots I bought, don’t they look good?

Well, the apricots sure looked good, they also were the right texture as I’ve been taught by my mom and dad. Not hard but not gushy, just a hint of firmness but soft to the touch. I decided to eat one as I was packing up a few of these lovelies to take to work today to nosh on. There in my sun lit kitchen I ate what I knew was an apricot but had very little taste at all. There was a slight hint of apricot flavor but not the burst of fresh, fruity, juice down your chin taste. What? I was cheated, literally and figuratively from eating and enjoying an apricot. My mind quickly goes back to Italy where you would never find produce picked before its ripe, tasteless, or artificially ripened with some chemical. Why do we put up with this tasteless produce they display in symmetrical rows, all waxed and shiny, and spritz’d with the misters? Why have we accepted this lack of quality? Do you feel the same way?

Here is a picture I took at the vegetable market at the Rialto Bridge in Venice, Italy. Now those are some vegetables, don’t you think?

the bounty

2008-06-02T07:45:00.005-07:00

It’s a Monday and instead of getting ready for work I’m out in my garden watering, pruning, and picking the bounty. Here is a picture of red grape and yellow cherry tomato’s that have finally ripened. Aren’t the colors beautiful? They are quite tasty too. They have that homegrown tomato smell and taste that you don’t get from the store bought ones. I wish I lived closed to my parents as my dad grows a lot of tomatos and they are big and beautiful. I seem to only have luck with growing the small version but they are still yummy. I think I’ll take some to work for a snack today.

Here is a picture I took of my Star Jasmine vine that was in full bloom in late April. I wish you could smell them, it is just heavenly. I wish the blooms lasted longer but I believe its mother nature’s way for us to anticipate spring and the colors and aroma it brings.

Happy Monday!

oh, the girls are back

2008-05-31T12:53:00.010-07:00

I’ve been waiting for weeks for the movie Sex and the City to come out. My girlfriends and I planned to make it a ‘girls’ night out, go see the movie and then dinner afterwards so we could critique it. The movie critics have been very generous in giving out details of the movies and a local TV station discussed and showed clips every day this past week. Of course I was intrigued but tried not to pay attention or mute the volume when they came on. I just didn’t want to spoil it, wanted it to be a surprise. So, the plan was to leave work a little early, catch a late afternoon show and then dinner.

So, what’d I think of the movie? I LOVED it!! I laughed, I cried, and of course enjoyed the clothes and shoes. The characters that were on the HBO series were in the movie plus a couple of new faces. I won’t give away any details in case you haven’t seen it yet but if you enjoyed the series (whether on HBO or the cleaned up reruns on TV) I think you will enjoy the movie. If you haven’t seen the series it’s not mandatory, you will still understand the relationship between the girls.

Ladies, there is a bit of eye candy from Samantha’s neighbor, Dante. He certainly shows you what exercise and a tan looks like on a man.

Do you have plans to see the movie?

If you’ve seen the movie, what did you think about it?