You knew we lived in the midst of a forest.  You knew that there are mostly evergreen trees in the forest up here.  But did you know that some evergreen trees lose bits and pieces of their needles/branches?  Here’s a snap of a nearby Cedar tree… each fall, all the cedar trees have sections that turn a rust color and eventually drop off – normally during the wind and rain storms that come in November.   There.  An autumnal bit of etcetera.

Hey, it’s great living in a forest!  You get to see lots of wildlife… like these very tame and laid back deer, lounging in our next door neighbor’s back yard a few days back.  Some days I think the deer are cute.  Some days I’d like to make them all into deer jerky. 

This happy little photo is of the mommy deer and twins that have spent the entire summer going from home to home, devouring every edible flower, tree, and plant  in the vicinity.  They look so content, don’t they?

Last week, on one of our truly glorious autumn days, we took a drive with our neighbors Irv & Elaine over to Anacortes, WA.  They took us to the top of a large hill where Cap Sante Park is located.  We’d never been there – and on a nice day (like we had) the view is stunning.  Here is a photo of our good friends with Fidalgo Bay in the background. 

Irv and Elaine are now back in Florida, where they live most of the year.  You may remember we went to see them last March and had a fantastic visit!   Today we woke to 32 degrees and saw that it’s in the 70’s in Florida.  I’m going to try not to think too hard about that.

Here are a couple of shots of our cat, Jinx.  He wanted to show off his Halloween “Beastie Bands” collar so I told him, “just turn your head the other way so we can see it, Jinx”.  And he did.   By the way, in my humble opinion, “Beastie Bands” are simply the nicest (but definitely NOT the most expensive) cat collars.  Jinx likes to change his neckwear as the seasons change  

I absolutely love Autumn.  It means I can start making more homemade soups and stews, roasts in the oven, and baked goods.  So far, I’ve made a pot of chili and an apple crisp.  I’m thinking tonight might be a great night for my homemade potato soup.  Lots of evenings in the fall and winter, we’ll make our dinner on soup and bread.  I still am intimidated at the thought of making my own bread… not so much in the technique exactly, but in the time it takes.  Ok, I’ll admit it, the technique scares me a bit also.   At any rate, I love to buy (at Costco in a pack of six) the small sourdough baguettes that are not completely baked.  They need about 20 minutes in a 375 degree oven to finish them off to perfection.  This time of year I keep them in the freezer to go along with the soups and stews.

Here is a snap shot of an open-faced sandwich I made for lunch a few days ago.  I got the idea out of my favorite “Everyday Food” magazine – I think it was in an issue about 5 years ago. 

They are cheese, apple, and bacon on a nice whole grain brown bread.  I cooked the bacon first, then assembled the sandwiches and baked them in the oven at 350 for approx 12-14 minutes.  Long enough for the bread to get sort of crispy and the cheese to melt.  I used extra sharp cheddar and golden delicious apples.  You could use any cheese that you like and even change the fruit to thinly sliced pears.  Yep, that would be soooo good too!

On the subject of food, I’m pretty sure you’ve heard of The Pioneer Woman and her website, and all the great food she makes.  Well, she’s started another website, the Tasty Kitchen- described as: “Favorite Recipes from Real Kitchens Everywhere!”  – where anyone can submit recipes that are tried and true family favorites.  It’s a great website and if you enjoy cooking like I do, you may discover a great recipe or two there!

The final subject for todays “Autumnal hodgepodge” is painting. An eight-letter word that describes perseverance and determination.  We moved in to our new home (yes, it was actually new when we moved in) in 2003.  The builder, bless his heart, painted (with a spray gun I am sure) every wall and ceiling in this house the famous off-white color.  Five years ago we ventured into the world of color and painted the guest room a sort of ‘whole-grain-mustard’ gold.  Sounds horrible doesn’t it?  Well, it looks okay and goes well with the “African” theme we sort of have in there.  It took two coats of color to cover the off-white walls.  Fast forward to 2009.  Finally, hubby and I agree that we absolutely must update the walls in our “great room” – which encompasses the living room, dining room, and kitchen.  I kid you not, we made FIVE trips to Home Depot and Lowe’s before deciding upon the two colors.  The painting has been in process for much of this past week.  It is not yet done.  But here are a few shots of the prep and beginning of the debacle!

Taping in the kitchen

The big wall in living room area

Let the painting and 'cutting in' begin~

Obviously, I’ll post some “after” pictures once we are done.  Having the house in total chaos is a yucky feeling, but it was definitely a must.  All I’ll say is we are very happy with the outcome — so far!

I think this time, more pictures and less verbiage!  First off, some of my FOOD pictures.

I do love to try a new recipe from time to time, and this one I found I had many versions of.  Italian Bread Salad, or “Panzanella”.   We thought it looked yummy for a warm summer’s day, so I gave it a try.  Seen in the picture are large bread cubes from what the recipe called “country” bread, but it was actually a round loaf of Italian rosemary bread that I picked up at Trader Joe’s.  English cucumber, red onion,  provolone cheese, plum tomatoes, cannellini beans, and fresh basil.  I made a simple vinaigrette as the recipe suggested, using red wine vinegar, olive oil, salt & pepper. 

I tossed it all together, waited the suggested two hours (for all the flavors to mingle and the bread to soak up some of the dressing), and then served it up.  Dee-lightful!!  You can see the recipe I used by clicking here.

Recently (this past week) we took our motorhome out on another adventure.   Each time we go we learn more and more about the features of our newest acquisition.  This time we stayed away two nights and I got the chance to try out the microwave/convection oven.

The motorhome does NOT have a “regular” oven, so I needed to see what baking in a convection oven might be like.  Well, here is the result!  My version of a Plum Tart.  It was nice and brown and properly baked – and was so tasty.  I only wish we’d had some vanilla ice cream to go with it.  I got my idea for this dessert here. 

Yesterday we stopped by our favorite farm stand and picked up a HUGE bag of these “Romano” green beans.  We buy them every year and LOVE ‘em!  This year I decided to buy A LOT and freeze some for wintertime.  So here they are, just out of their blanching, then ice water bath, waiting to be packaged for the freezer.  YUM!

Now for some motorhome  pics from our last trip.  We headed a little further away this time and ended up at an RV park on Willapa Bay, very near the open ocean.   We were able to park waterside, and this is the view we had!The little island you see in the above picture seemed to attract a very large amount of seagulls–Guess there really is something to that old saying… “birds of a feather, flock together….”

More  scenes of  “camp life” – just hangin’ out in our fold-up camp chairs…

Dear hubby enjoying the campfire and the sunset.

We had a nice time and would have loved to have stayed longer.  Someday, yes someday if we are truly lucky and blessed, we’ll get to take a three-month trip around parts of the USA and Canada.  That dream is still way off in the future…. but there’s nothing wrong with having a few dreams!   Hoping you are enjoying your own “August delights”!

Plants Back in September ‘08 I did a post on “plants around the house”.  I had a “mystery plant” that bloomed and was so excited to learn that it was a Hoya (thanks Jayne and Glenda!).   Well it is blooming again and I just have to post another picture of it.  This time it’s blooming in TWO different colors! 

Maybe I am easily fascinated, but I’ll admit it, I’m simply loving this Hoya plant!!

You may also remember if you click on my previous plant post here, that I started an experiment with my African Violets.  Following the advice in my o-l-d houseplant book “Crockett’s Indoor Garden”, I took four leaf cuttings off my healthy African Violet, dipped them in rooting hormone, and inserted them at a 45 degree angle into a pot.  Then I developed a hearty dose of patience and waited.  I watered, I watched, and I waited.  I have been rewarded!!  What was once just four leaves is now an abundance of leafy green!!  When I first noticed the little “plantlets” appearing, I was so excited!  It worked!  Of course the true measure of success is if/when this little beauty actually blooms. This was my purple and white specimen, so theoretically when it blooms, it will also be of the purple/white variety.  Obviously I’ll post a photo of that “exciting” event, should it happen.

Food Yesterday in the late afternoon,  I pulled up a stool next to the stove and made (with love I may add, as it’s rather time consuming) some particularly delicious risotto.  I’ve made risotto before and liked it, but this was love at first bite!  The recipe is from the Martha Stewart “Everyday Food” magazine – back in April 2004.  Shame on me for waiting this long to try out this fantastic side dish!  It’s actually called Spring Risotto with peas and zucchini.  If you hate peas and/or zucchini, I’m sure you could substitute other green veggies.  Click here (the Martha Stewart Everyday Food website) for the full recipe. 

Start by cooking some lovely chopped zucchini in a 3 quart saucepan. When it is soft and golden, remove it and add your Arborio rice.

In risotto, Arborio rice, imported from Italy is a must. Well in my opinion, it’s a must.  It has a higher starch content and makes the creamiest risotto.  Our friend Martha Stewart says it’s possible to substitute medium grain white rice.  That would probably work too.  I get my Arborio rice from Trader Joes.  Gotta love that store … great selection of slightly unusual things at very reasonable prices. 

Now for the time consuming part.  You add the broth just one cup at a time, stirring until nearly all the liquid is absorbed.  Then, and only then can you add another cup of broth.  This part of the recipe takes approximately 30 minutes.   Ahhh, this is the “made with love” part!  Then, at the very end you’ll add the zucchini, peas, and some parmesan cheese (yum). 

Here it is, the final result…  Spring Risotto, a slice of ham, and some delicious steamed broccoli.  All I can say is that I’m so glad there’s leftover risotto for tonight!

So last night’s evening meal ends today’s tale of  “this and that”.  Has anybody else made risotto?  Propagated plants?  I’d love to hear all about it!! 

Anyone who knows me, knows that I love to cook.  And eat – (especially my own cooking).  Part two of that equation can be a problem, but honestly I am working on portion control!  That’s exactly what I need, portion control!!    Believe it or not, I used to spend hours in the kitchen watching my mom cook and bake.  I could lean over the stove from behind and watch everything  just like a camera on the TV cooking shows.  It was there that I learned how to make gravy (among a zillion other things).  Mom was a great cook and I guess that’s where I got my knack - so to speak.   I’ve actually had a couple of my recipes published in Taste of Home magazine (years ago, before that magazine changed considerably).   I still enjoy subscribing to one “foodie” magazine, “Everyday Food” put out by the folks at Martha Stewart Living.  In addition to magazines, I also love to watch the Food Network.  I’m crazy for the Barefoot Contessa, although I don’t make too many of her recipes.  Another show I enjoy watching is “Big Daddy’s House”.  You just gotta love this guy!   He makes real food for real people.  

Just for fun, here are a couple of my recent successes.    Number one -  Roasted Vegetables (or how to use up bits of veggie in your fridge!). 

Pretty much ANY veggie will do for this recipe

Step one:Gather up any veggies you may have on hand.  I had quite a group of stuff I wanted to use up before we left on vacation about a month ago.  Carrots, celery, a zucchini, one sweet potato, an onion, some green beans, a few broccoli florets, mushrooms, and some bell peppers.   Step two: peel and cut into moderate sized chunks. 

 Since I did all the chopping in advance of dinner, I put everything into a plastic bag.   Here it is, all ready for the next step.  Step Three:  Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Spray a baking pan with non-stick coating such as “Pam” (you don’t absolutely have to do that, but it does reduce sticking).  Put all your veggies on the pan and drizzle with olive oil, kosher salt, and freshly ground pepper. 

On the pan and ready for the oven

Here they are, all ready for the oven.  Bake for approx 40 minutes.  It’s impossible to not like the finished product – unless you hate veggies in the first place!   

Dinner is served!

 I apologize that this picture is not as bright as I wanted it.  However, hopefully you can see the roasted veggies, right next to the rice pilaf and grilled flank steak.  Delightful. 

My next recent success involved fish.  Salmon to be exact.  My dear husband loves to catch them, but is simply not enthralled with eating pretty much any fish, but especially salmon.  Of course we all know that salmon is “good for you” so my mission was to find a recipe he would actually enjoy.  I have tried many different ways to prepare salmon, but honestly, this one wowed both of us!  I got this recipe after watching a recent episode of Big Daddy’s House.  Click here to get the recipe too!   In a rare move, I made “Big Daddy’s” entire menu that evening.  Blackened Salmon with Blue Cheese Sauce,  Lemon Pepper Orzo, and Spicy Swiss Chard.  We loved it all.  Every last bite!  Here is a picture of the “salmon success” I must admit that while we are definite blue cheese lovers, I happened to have some Gorgonzola on hand and used that in the sauce.  It was divine!  It is going to be hard to “top” this meal, and I probably won’t for a while.  But in the meantime, it’s time to simply figure out what’s for dinner tonight!

Well, not entirely, but it did get your attention didn’t it??   I’m just starting to catch my breath after the whirlwind of activities the past few days!  On Saturday, we attended the college graduation of dear DIL at Western Washington University.  Summer graduation is normally not as big as the traditional spring one, but it was still pretty packed in the auditorium.  As luck would have it, the day was gorgeous and sunny.  Here’s a pic of the happy graduate and her proud husband!

After graduation, we all went out to lunch at Anthony’s – a fantastic fresh seafood restaurant.  The halibut and chips were ohhh so good!   Unfortunately we couldn’t stay as long as we would have liked, as we had an afternoon wedding to attend!  I took some photos at the wedding but they didn’t come out at all… I think it may be time for a new camera – one that can actually zoom in and still take a clear picture!   There’s something to be said for weddings, I think.  I mean, every time we go to one, I listen to the words of those wedding vows and silently make them my own -again.  It’s easy to forget what all we promised to, years ago… in sickness and in health, for richer for poorer… and all that.  Ok, I’m a softie – I love weddings!   The reception was a lot of fun too – great food, music, and lots of friends from dear hubby’s workplace.  We ended up staying much longer than we thought we would. 

The next day it rained.  Actually, it poured.  Evidendce: 

Puddles accumulating on the deck~

Mist through the trees

All the rain inspired me to cook up a batch of my home made veggie soup!  Since August is one of the best months for local produce, I had oodles of fresh veggies in the fridge, waiting to be turned into a delightful rainy-day treat!  I grabbed a little of this and a little of that – and voila~  SOUP!  I will admit it was REALLY tasty… and, it ended up being our dinner more than once, there was so much of it.  I think what made the soup so yummy may have been the addition of the CHEESE MUFFINS I made to go along with it!!!  While the soup was really good (and oh-so-healthy), the CHEESE MUFFINS were “to die for”!  Of course that is being said by a self proclaimed cheese freak (AKA-me!). 

Mizsuzee's homemade veggie soup. The black thing is a ladle

CHEESE MUFFINS! ooh-la-la

This was my first (but certainly NOT the last) time making the delectable CHEESE MUFFINS   I have to give credit where credit is due– I got this recipe from the “Pioneer Woman’s” website.  I love her blog, her photography, and her recipes.  Here’s the link if you would like to make some CHEESE MUFFINS of your very own! One thing that makes the recipe section of her website so neat is that she takes snapshots of every step of preparation.  She makes it all look so easy, and honestly, the CHEESE MUFFINS were super easy!  Ohhhhh, which one of her recipes shall I attempt next???? 

• It’s been a very strange “spring” here.  The constant rain and grey skies are downright depressing.  Last night there was snow falling on Snoqualmie Pass!  This is simply unheard of  in June.  For the first time that I can remember, I haven’t filled my back deck containers/pots with flowers- yet.  Digging in mud is simply not appealing to me.  I have three hanging baskets and haven’t had to water them at all — Mother Nature is doing it for me.   We are used to rain around these parts, but it’s been a daily occurrence now since last October.  Sigh.   Hovering in front of our heat dish in June is crazy!
• When we first told people that we are going to Palm Springs for a week in July,  they thought we were nuts.  After all, we all know what the weather is like there in mid-summer… blistering hot!   Guess what?  We’ve begun to hear a few “got room for us?” comments passing people’s lips!  We’ve decided that if all the summer we get is that one week in Palm Springs, then that will be OK.  At least we’ll have had a week of sunshine, swimming, and cook outs.  Yeah…. we’ll call it our “compact summer”.
• I love feeding the wildlife around here (except the deer which annoy me no end).  I’ve had quite an array lately of large and small creatures, squirrels, hummingbirds, and other birds of many types.  The latest being a Western Tanager.  They love the sunflower seeds and suet that I put out regularly.  The hummingbirds have been devouring the sugar syrup in the feeder lately – probably in shock at the cold temps and trying to just stay fueled! 
• Work has been particularly difficult lately.  I LOVE my job – and I’m not just saying that.  I work at a great place with exceptional people, doing something I dreamed of ever since I was a little girl.  No, it’s true!  When I was about 10, my mom and I used to volunteer one Sunday a month in the church “nursery”.  I was crazy about babies and it was my only chance to be around them.  Who’d have known that I would spend my entire career (now pushing  29 years) taking care of babies?  I believe it was divine intervention… but I digress.  Life at work has been really tough of late.  A series of extremely unfortunate events has happened involving people from work.  One nurse died quite suddenly and unexpectedly – and that really shook us all.  Since then (that was last month), there have been at least four other really sad and difficult things happen to either one of us or our significant others.   Every day we look at each other and ask quite literally “what could be next?”  In the mean time, I think we are appreciating each other a little more, and looking at each day as more of the gift that it really is.
• We had a fantastic weekend two weeks ago when son #2 and dear DIL were here!  The guys went golfing and the girls did a bit of shopping   It was really extra special when DIL went with me – and encouraged me – to get some of my long, wild hair chopped off.  Never having had a daughter to hang out with, it’s sure been fantastic to now have my dear DIL!  Woohoo! 
• Speaking of my dear DIL, has anyone ever heard of Silpada jewelry?  I’ll admit that I hadn’t, and I’m not a really big jewelry lover or wearer… however – this stuff is gorgeous!  She is getting into doing the Silpada home parties and I’m hoping to have one in August.
• While “the kids” were here visiting, I made a really yummy breakfast casserole!  I took a couple pictures which I haven’t downloaded yet, but if they turn out, I plan to do a post featuring it plus the recipe, of course.
• On the subject of food…………. I think I’ve mentioned in earlier posts how much I like Martha Stewart’s EVERYDAY FOOD magazine.  This month they have a recipe that I want to highly recommend.  I made it on Sunday evening, and honestly, it was so delicious!  It’s from issue 52, May 2008.  “Flank steak with asparagus and snap pea stir fry“   Long name, but not too many ingredients, and super yummy.  We left out the 4 cloves of garlic because we were both going to work the next day and it still turned out to be SO flavorful! 
• I’m thinking that may be enough ’snippets’ for this time.   Time to have a wander outside and breathe in some of the freshest air in the world.  Yup, one good thing about the rain, it REALLY cleans the air and our air is nearly medicinal,  it’s so clean