a 'cool' weekend

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!!

unexpected welcome

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%

on your special day

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

friends, food and fun - what more can one ask for?

I had some friends over for dinner this evening. I tried out several new recipes that I found on other blogs and it was a delicious success. Since I’ve redone my kitchen/home it is now a pleasure cooking with a new gas stove. I promise to write and post pictures about my home remodel experience soon.

Because of my love for Italy when I do have friends over they expect to have Italian food. When I don’t serve Italian they seem a bit disappointed or at least surprised. First, let me say that I’m not a great cook whether it’s Italian or any other ethnic dish, but I do like to cook.

I try and plan a menu so some of it can be prepared ahead of time and what needs to be cooked fresh it won’t take long to prepare, especially during the week. When you work outside the home it’s all in the timing.

For this menu I had found a chicken dish at Jerry’s Thoughts, Musings, and Rants! and a to-die-for chocolate desert at Bleeding Espresso’s. Thank you for sharing your recipes, they were a success. Here’s the menu:

~Arugula salad
~Pasta w/pesto
~mini caprese kabobs
~Balsamic chicken with mushrooms
~Fresh bread and butter
~Chocolate and peperoncino mousse
~Ice tea and water

Arugula Salad – arugula/rucola/rocket lettuce lightly dressed with good olive oil, fresh lemon juice, fresh cracked pepper, kosher salt & shaved pecorino romano cheese – don’t skimp on the cheese!!

Pasta w/Pesto – I used Piccoli 3 pasta as I didn’t’ have enough Trofiette pasta which they say in the Cinque Terra region is the only pasta to serve with pesto. Pesto originated from that region. I had some homemade pesto in the freezer (did you know pesto freezes very well?) and used that. It was the standard pesto – basil, garlic, parmesan cheese, pecorino cheese, toasted pine nuts, salt, and olive oil. I’ve also used toasted walnuts instead of pine nuts and like that variation very much.

Mini Caprese Kabobs – I took cherry tomatoes, small mozzarella balls, and basil and stuck them on a toothpick. I really wanted to use longer wooden skewers but I haven’t unpacked those yet. Dang it! The toothpicks worked fine.

Balsamic chicken with mushrooms – Thank you Jerry @ Jerry’s Thoughts, Musings, and Rants! for sharing the recipe. The only change I made was I used cremini mushrooms instead of the button. It tasted great!!

Chocolate and Peperoncino Mousse – Thank you Michelle @ bleeding espresso for the recipe. The first batch I made I used the listed 2 tsp. of crushed red pepper. HOLY COW!!! I like spicy but this was off the chart. I guess I’m a wimp; I bow down to you Michelle. So, onto batch #2. I used only ¼ teaspoon of crushed red pepper and that was just enough to give it a little bite of spicy with the richness of chocolate. Oh, what did I do with batch #1 you ask? I could not throw out chocolate so I had some left over whipping cream and I whipped that up sweetened with a little powdered sugar and combined them together. It still is a little spicier then I’d prefer but its chocolate and it’s good. This is a very rich desert so ½ to ¾ cup a serving topped with sweetened whipped cream (powdered sugar & a little vanilla) and some shaved chocolate is sufficient.

Buon Appetito!

Let the games begin... After dinner we played Mexican Train, a game played with dominoes. We had a fun time, J came in 1st, I came in 2nd and B had the distinguished title of coming in last, I mean 3rd.

Thank you J&B for a lovely evening, we need to do this more often.

Table Centerpiece Suggestion: Clear vase with an inch of whole coffee beans and a vanilla candle in the middle. The scent of coffee and vanilla is scrumptious!