a moment that feels stolen

Tags

evening, garden, pets, plants, porch sitting, sun, wine

I’m sitting on my front porch basking in the sun looking at weeds that need to be pulled and pretty little starts waiting to be planted. All the while, I’m enjoying a glass of wine feeling decadent that I’m NOT working.

Coe is an evil sneak and is the master of the cold nose to the back of the elbow. She swoops in now and then to remind me she’s there. Always the good sport.   (This isn’t really Coe, but an incredible likeness and too funny to not share)

New kitty Ginger is lurking in the garden. I’m pretty sure she thinks she getting away with something. Actually, I’m pretty sure we all feel that way.

I just got some pretty rhubarb at the farmer’s market today since mine is still pretty scrawny. I’ve been googling recipes and may have settled on one… or two…

I’m putting this evening into the win column.

Where has time gone?

Tags

baking, cocktails, iphone photos, Rebuilding Together, spring, work

While I have been working non-stop the last few months, I have managed to find time to have some fun, bake a few yummies, drink a few (several) cocktails, and eat some fabulous grub.  I’ve been making notes and have the starts for several blog posts.

I have taken a few days off work to… well, work.  Rebuilding Together is upon us once again and it is a project I love being involved with.  So while it is “work”, it’s rewarding and fun.  Having a few days off from the work-that-pays has given me the mental and creative recharge I needed after the hellish spring work had brought forth.

As I mentioned, I have been making notes and always taking pictures.  Here’s a tiny preview of some upcoming posts.  Until next time, and I PROMISE, my  next post will be coming soon.

Good Early Morning

A lot of long days make for morning way too soon. A little easier getting up when it’s dry and clear. A gorgeous moon has greeted Coe and I on our morning walk the last two days.

Grillin’ while chillin’

Tags

cooking, frosty morning, pork shoulders, pulled pork, sliders

We are having some of the most gorgeous weather.  Not a cloud in sight, but it is COLD!  The morning started with a good layer of frost and then as the sun came out, it warmed up to a balmy 41*.

Since I didn’t get to my to-do list when my December vacation took a turn for the worse, I decided I would spend a little time in the yard on my MLK Monday off.  I spent the day smoking two (yes 2!) pork shoulders.  My vertical drum smoker took a little more baby sitting than in the prime of summer since we started in the dark when it was 31*.

I mostly smoked these to babies to stock my freezer, but of course I had to enjoy some right off the grill.  There is nothing better than fresh off the grill, melt in your mouth, pork shoulder.  I can easily be gluttonous standing in the kitchen and eat most of it right there.  But tonight, I made mini pulled pork sliders.  I love sliders, it’s built in portion control.

 

yummmm… this week’s off to a good start.  Hope you have a good week (it just might not be as yummy)

Happy New Year

Tags

appetizer, cream cheese, exercise, feta, resolutions, weight gain

The last several months have been hard.  Too much loss in our family topped with work sucking beyond words, I’ve found little energy for cooking, crafting, and photography.  With fall mornings being cold, it was hard to get out of bed, so my exercise regimen fell by the wayside.  My annual vacation of 4 days of gluttony turned into 3 weeks of gluttony with too much sitting resulting in a dismal 9 pounds gained!

I don’t make resolutions.  What I do, is try to make healthy life choices.  I know with my love of pork and cocktails, it doesn’t always look like that.  I try to find balance in my lifestyle.  I exercise so I can eat what I want.

One of the nice things about a blog as a personal journal, there is a bit of accountability.  I have found blogs that were seemingly abandoned with no reason and now I can see how that happens.  Life happens and all of a sudden, it’s been a few weeks or a few months without writing.  When I cook, I take pictures and make notes with every intention of writing about it, but I just fall father behind.  I find this personal space quite cathartic and miss it when I don’t write.  It’s a nice dumping ground for the detritus in my head.

That’s a lot of words for saying, I’m back.  I’ve missed this place and I’m starting back with a crazy easy layered cheese dip that will surely be a hit at your next gathering.  This recipe was originally in Louisiana Cookin’ October 2012.

Cream Cheese Tart
2 8oz bricks of cream cheese
3/4 cup crumbled feta
1/4 cup softened butter
1/4 confectioners sugar (didn’t have any, used granulated and reduced by half)
6 tablespoons fig preserves (increased, prob doubled)
1/4 cup finely chopped pecans (increased)

*In a large bowl mix cream cheese through sugar. In another bowl, mix pecans and fig preserves.
*Line a 16 ounce plastic tub with plastic wrap, leaving extra to hang over sides.
*Spoon half of pecan mixture in bottom of tub then spoon half of cream cheese over pecan mixture. Repeat layers then fold excess plastic wrap over top.
*Chill for 2 hours. Serve with crackers

My variations: HALVE this recipe!! This actually made 2 tubs and I put the second one in the freezer.  This was figgy cheese goodness and there wasn’t a smidgen left (almost as if someone licked the plate clean).

Hope your new year is off to a good start.  Here’s to lucky number 13!

home again, home again…

Tags

busy life, dessert, lush, martini, Mt Hood, pizza, poem, relax, sunrise, unwind, work

I am so far behind…

I’ve got pictures and projects to post galore
I sit and stare at a computer until I’m bored

I’ve started a dozen posts
before I can finish, I’m toast

My brain has turned to mush
My work is turning me into a lush

How I miss my Lula Harp time
I’ve got to find a way to unwind

Until then, please know I intend
to find my way home, again

These boots were made for…

Tags

match, online dating, profile, single life

So I finally pulled the trigger and signed up for Match.

I had been on Match a few years ago and went out on a few dates with little more than a few good stories to tell. So, to sign up for the same site, I was a little concerned I might accidentally pick someone I’d vetoed in the past.

One of the dates I’d been on before had ended quite… Interesting… To put it succinctly, he walked out. Fast forward to just a few days ago, HE showed up in my inbox as their “special match”. I knew immediately and deleted. He clearly had blocked the memory because when I showed up in his box, he picked me.

I don’t lie or exaggerate in my profile, I’m sarcastic, and if you have a problem with that, then you need to move along. Well, some good natured ribbing and he got up paid his portion of the tab, walked the server over informing her I needed my bill, and he walked out. I was laughing my ass off!! I couldn’t wait to pick up the phone and share this good gafaw. What a tool!!

So, not only does he have the exact same profile picture he did 2 years ago, he has the exact same profile text. Really?! Nothing about you has changed in 2 YEARS?!!

One can hope this little adventure will net me a tad more than fodder for your reading pleasure.

Growing Pains

Tags

Fashion, Nordstroms, panties, shopping, single, underwear, Victoria Secret

There are moments in life that make us more aware than ever we are a full fledged responsible adult. I hate those moments.

I’ve droned on about my single life and I do not mind being single. Actually, it’s not being single that I mind. What I mind is being responsible for everything. It breaks, I have to fix it. It wears out, I have to replace it. That’s what gets annoying.

Recently, I had to fly to Dallas for some family time. The upside to the trip was my Mutha took me shopping for bras. That’s what mothers do, they buy your underwear. A friend and I recently were having the conversation that her grown son asked her for underwear, because that’s what mothers do. She also lamented that she missed her own mother at those moments, when she needed new underwear.

Where am I going with this underwear ramble? Recall my weedwacker excursion? This week has felt a little like that, but a tad more personal. I’m boring. I’ve worn the same (not really the same, that would be kind gross) cotton panties for years. Feeling the need to spruce my undergarments, I spent a few hours at the mall inspecting the array of choices available.

I made the required stop at Victoria’s Secret. I’ve never been thrilled with their stuff, but it’s cute and seemingly affordable for what it is. One of the things I dislike about this establishment is that everyone who works there is between 16 and 20 and has a figure like a stick. They have no idea how to respond when I say I don’t want underwear that rides up my ass because that’s what their thong is meant to do. A few minutes later (but in reality felt like an hour) I wandered out with my tiny bag, $25 lighter and 5 panties richer.

I then made my way to a delightful mecca I like to call Nordstroms. I have never regretted a purchase from there. Yes, it costs 2-3 times what I would have paid elsewhere, but it lasts forever and if I don’t like it, they’ll take it back no matter what. The woman in the lingerie department was friendly and was not put off with my specific criteria. I did find a few things that seemed to fit the bill, but my bill here was quite a bit more than at VS. Again, I knew this going in, but have the expectation that this item will be well worth it.

First morning wearing my new skivvies from VS. I’m not half a block from home and sure enough, they end up straight up my backside! If I had more time I probably would have turned around right then. But I ignored it and went on with the next 10 hours. The others will be returned. I think I’ve learned my lesson and will not be returning to VS.

Day 2 of the new pantie experiment, I wore my new Cadillac undies from Nordy’s. There’s a reason one pair costs the same as I spent on 5 at the other place. I put them on and they fit just right and stayed where I put them. I walked and walked and they didn’t move. I sat down, I stood up, still, right where I wanted them.

Now, that I’ve fallen in love with my new Cadillac panties, I just need to figure out how to refinance my home to buy a few more of these. While my favorite new garment is not in the same ball park as La Perla, it’s certainly several steps up from the cotton Jockey’s I’ve been sporting. The joys of being a girl.

FEAST on fresh, homemade pasta

Tags

basil, FEAST, fresh pasta, mark bittman, olive oil, plaid, recipe, semolina, Sunday, tomatoes

I finally hit a wall and went into work on Saturday to say I was taking (most of) Sunday off.  Just knowing I was going to have a day free to do whatever was a big relief.  Saturdays at the distillery, the girls and I have gotten in the habit of closing up shop and sitting down to enjoy a cocktail or two before we venture out to our respective evenings.  This week, we all donned an assortment of plaid and went to the New Deal Yelp After Party for Feast week.

An assortment of New Deal cocktails of all varieties, bites of fabulous food, ice cream with booze in it… I was in heaven.  Wait, I’m not sure they allow plaid in heaven.  I have never seen so much plaid!  I really do not own anything plaid and was going to go sans plaid, but one of the girls came to my rescue and I wore a bright plaid polyester number.  I was quite fetching.  and NO, there are no photos!

Sunday, a little hungover and excited for my leisure day, I woke way too early and made a pot of water.  I couldn’t quite put my finger on what was off until I looked over and saw the coffee beans still sitting in the grinder.  Good thing I had time for a do-over.  While the “real” pot brewed, I gave Coe a bath.  I’m not sure where this burst of productivity came from.

I had been gifted tomatoes fresh from the garden, so in honor of my free time, I made fresh pasta.  I’ve been wanting to make it for some time.  I had really forgotten how easy it was to make.  Years ago, I took a ravioli class and I went back to the recipe that had served me so well.  But, I had to tweak it a little bit.

This past week was FEAST (see above after-party).  A week of food events “celebrating Oregon’s bounty”.  Tickets for most events were outrageous, but I could not pass up Mark Bittman.  I’ve mentioned before how much I like him.  He makes you think about your food… where it’s from, what’s in it, and how to make it better.  And that’s just what he talked about.  For anyone who follows him regularly, he didn’t talk about anything new or startling, but just reinforced all the things he writes so passionately about.

I’ve had a recipe of his bookmarked for about a year.  Now with this free time on Sunday, I sort of put it in action.  Bittman’s recipe is for an egg pasta rolled into handkerchiefs with fresh pesto.  I used my tried and true dough recipe but did his technique.

Into the cuisinart:
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 semolina
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt
Pulse cuisinart a few times, then add
2 tablespoons olive oil
drizzle 2 tablespoons water, if needed to bring it all together.

 This whole process should take about a minute. Dust with just a little flour if it feels a little sticky as you pull your dough ball out of the food processor. Knead a couple of times into a disc and wrap in plastic wrap to rest on the counter for 30 minutes (or in the fridge for a day).

While the dough rested, I chopped up a few tomatoes, chiffonade some fresh basil and sprinkled with a pinch of kosher salt. Water at a gentle boil, I began to roll my dough. I have a pasta machine, but you can just as easily do this with a rolling pin. Starting on the largest setting, I worked my way to the thinnest setting. I ended up with long, wide ribbons of pasta that were done to perfection in about a minute. I tossed the pasta handkerchiefs with my tomatoes and dusted with fresh parmesan.  You can shape this recipe into whatever type of pasta you prefer.

Summer’s beautiful bounty!  Enjoy!

Thank Goodness…

Tags

autumn, clouds, cocktail, creativy, dreams, friday, garden, iphone photos, slugs, sunset, swifts, work

Oh Happy Friday!!

I’ve been sitting in a classroom for 4 weeks being talked at. You may recall my work rant awhile back that I didn’t get xyz at work. The Rolling Stones had it right. You get what you need and not necessarily what you want (clearly paraphrasing). It’s hard to see that sometimes they aren’t the same thing. After week 2 of this class, I was really questioning whether I wanted xyz. Now after some practical application, I’m still unsure, but feel a teeny bit better.

I really try to be a glass half full kinda gal. So this class has been a test of my good humor. We had 3 instructors who rotated. One talked so loud it bordered on yelling. If someone asked a question she didn’t want to answer or had already been asked, she talked louder and faster. Another instructor is super smart, so smart that he’d go off on these random technical tangents and lose everyone who had been moderately following along. The third, was fairly well balanced, engaging and informative without talking down.

Mr Super Smart has been our coach and go-to guy since we’ve been out of the classroom. And now that he’s allowed to go a little more off script, he’s a great coach. Answers questions so you can understand what needs to be done and isn’t condescending in the slightest.  Hope of understanding this new stuff is still yet a mere pin-prick…

The summer seems to be lingering and fading at the same time.  I hate waking up and leaving home while it’s still dark.  I swear just a week ago I was wearing my sunglasses on my way in!  Now I get home and have what feels like mere minutes of daylight left… sigh…

With my “school schedule” I’ve not gotten my long lunch walks.  They’ve turned into walks in the office building garden.  Not nearly as satisfying as walking along the river or meandering through town, but almost as interesting.  With being talked at all day and staring at a computer, my brain has turned to mush.  All the creativity I felt I had drained out my ears while I slept dreaming about nonsense work, formulas, forms, rules, rum running, the roaring 20′s and home repairs.

I saw my first fall leaf this morning, and as of tomorrow, fall is really here.  I’m not quite ready, but with a new season comes new ideas, new projects, and new colors.