I was going through our beach trip photo's and I am getting excited to go in a few weeks.
First photo left top, me at Sea Perch RV park near Yachats. 2nd photo hubby on the deck of Driftwood Shores watching the sun sink into the ocean. 3rd shot top and first shot left second row were taken in Bandon. Then comes sunset Florence, Zo at Sea Perch(we always had fires on the beach). Bottom row left, Zo at Bandon, Imre by our motor coach in Florence at the Marina campground, then shadows of us on the beach and marine life on rocks at Bandon and finally hubby on the beach at Florence.
I love going through our photo boxes. Thirty some years of photo's depicting our life together. A lot of years and a mega load of photo's.
We are anxious to make more memories and take more photos in a few weeks.
Today was gray until mid afternoon. Now that it is almost five it is glorious once more. We are certainly in a coastal weather mode. Tomorrow it is to be sunny(they say)who can believe at this point?
Tomorrow I am running some errands. We need a new heavy duty paper shredder ours has died. Office Max is having a sale so off I go tomorrow to purchase one and once again we can shred......yeah!
Then I am off to several different locations and I am also out the door on Friday I need to pick up fresh cod and fresh ingredients for this weeks meals.
I will once again heat a black iron skillet and melt a combo of olive oil and butter and lay in the beautiful Alaskan cod fillets sprinkled with salt and pepper. Turn once after a good sear. Then serve with lemon butter. This is a straight up simple cod dish. Tender, juicy and succulent I am going out of my way to get tender asparagus and some vine ripened tomatoes to go with brown rice. I for one cannot wait for this meal.
Tonight we are being bad(food wise). I have pre-baked potatoes to turn into shreds, to go with chicken fried steak and all will be smothered with country gravy. I will have a side of fresh cut veggies. I will say this we will have small portions of the country fried items. But still..........bad.
I need to leave you now as the local news is about to start. Time for a glass of wine and to relax before dinner.
Bye for now.
This photo was taken two years ago at Sweet Checks Winery in our southern Willamette valley here.
I like this photo because it reminds me of such a fun day.
It was my birthday and for some reason after tasting several wines I managed to tell all the folks at the tasting bar that fact. Good grief what can I say? We selected some delicacies from the food case and bought a glass each of our favorite wine and headed for the patio where the view goes on forever.......in love with that place.
Once again we have been foiled. Where is the sun? According to all data, paper, weatherman, online, we are to have a lovely day of sun and clouds and 65 degree's.
So far all we have are the same gray clouds that were already cemented into the sky as we opened our eyes this morning.
We went to the store this morning for goodies to grill and planned on working outdoors and then grilling early evening. This has to be the ugliest April I can remember. Gray grim and gross!
I have started reading "Return to Love" again. It has been several years since I read this wonderful book from Marianne Williamson.
One forgets how important it is to put love into all things. When there is not love, there is fear. And fear destroys us. I for one need to read a spiritual book from time to time to keep myself reminded of what is truly important in our lives and for our souls. This book was based on the "Course of Miracles" series.
A Return to Love is a book for anyone of any faith. If you have not read this book it is a must.
My husband is now settled deep into the sofa watching a movie and I will go sink in my chair in the living room and read.
We will wait for the sun to appear and it may, who knows, if so we will go to the deck to soak up some warmth.
I have no more to say it is a dull day but it must be enjoyed in some way as it is a day of my life.
I heard from several friends on the email this morning and that is always a treat.
Later.
I finally made French lemon tart. I was going to make this when my daughter was here, she did not come as planned so I waited until the other day to make this lemony delicacy. So I will share this recipe from Bon Appetit magazine.
French Lemon Tart
1 9" piecrust
1 beaten egg
2/3 cups fresh lemon juice
2/3 cup sugar
3 tablespoons heavy cream
1 pinch of salt
5 large eggs
sweetened whipped cream
Preheat oven to 400F
Prick the bottom and sides of piecrust with a fork.
Line with a double thickness of aluminum foil covering the edges. Fill with dried beans or pie weights. Bake 10 minutes. Lift out foil and beans. Lightly beat egg in a small bowl. Brush egg all over warm pastry. Bake pasty until firm and dry about 5 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.
Reduce oven temperature to 375F
Whisk together lemon juice, sugar, cream and salt. Add eggs one at a time whisking well after each addition. Pour into piecrust.
Bake until set 25-28 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool 1 hour. Chill 2-3 hours in fridge before serving with sweetened whipped cream.
As you can see this is a very easy recipe. Use a regular pie plate not a tart pan.
I am needing to purchase pie weights. I wonder how many bags of beans I have thrown out over the years. Ridiculous at this point!
Now truthfully my husband and I have had enough of gray weather. Ugly and depressing. He has not worked the past few days so trying to keep ourselves entertained is getting to be a quest.
We have caught up on all that is truly needed in our home. Today we have decided to play scrabble. We were going to play yesterday but we were not in the mood. Tomorrow we are hoping to go for a ride out in the country to check out a fishing hole for when the season opens. I will take us munchies along. Hopefully there will be some sun the forecast calls for it.
We need to appreciate this time together as shortly my man will be working non-stop until our little vacation.
Our dinner was very good last evening. I made a recipe of my own. Italian mild sausage peppers, zucchini and onion and polenta casserole. All is layered in a casserole dish and baked with cheese and marinara sauce. I saute the veggies first and of course pre-cook the sausage. You can either use links or ground. Or I have made it occasionally without meat. Both ways it is a flavorful mouthful.
Tonight we will have leftovers and I am making Paula Deans biscuits to go with.
Have a nice Monday.
This was a tasty meal last evening. I want you to know that yes this was my plate but I took half of the meat off the plate after taking this photo.
It was just a sirloin steak but it was sitting in the fridge with my steak rub on it for hours so it developed great flavor before putting it on the grill. I put a dollop of blue cheese dressing to the side to dip my steak in.
We found a great place to stay in Lincoln City. Within walking distance to the casino and restaurants. We have spotted these little condo's before while in Lincoln City. They are right on the beach, loaded with amenities There is a nice fireplace, glorious views from the many floor to ceiling windows, fully stocked kitchen with nice appliances and granite countertops. Very small and cozy, perfect for us. We called and at this point in time they are available for the time we would like to go. The reason we did not book just now is if you do not show up they charge you for the entire time you would have stayed. Which for us would be four nights so that is a lot of cash to forfeit if we were unable to go.
We are excited though for this little adventure and we could extend longer if we have the time free staying along coast at another place on the way home.
Well is is showery, wet and gray today as it was last night.
When we grilled the steak last night we put our rain jackets on and stood under our big patio umbrella while the steak sizzled on the grill. It was not cold just wet.
We stayed in bed this morning as there was nothing special for us to get up early for. After we finally groaned and moaned and crawled out of our nest we made breakfast together. We had big fluffy waffles and fried ham (yes still working on the Easter ham). I made a big pot of coffee we always grind our own beans and I had fresh cream. I have been drinking primarily tea in the mornings that is hubby's morning drink of choice also. So the coffee hit us this morning. I felt like bouncing off the walls, it was hilarious I buzzed around the house like a bee and in no time it was orderly.
So now we have a rainy afternoon ahead of us. We decided we would play scrabble today instead of gin rummy. We played cards last night each winning a game apiece.
Tonight we are fixing taco's. I will make the filling and toppings and hubby will fry the shells. He does a great job. I made refried beans yesterday and will make a batch of guacamole today to go with.
I am going to leave you now and settle into my chair and finish the newspaper while the rain splatters the windows.
Have a nice wet weekend if you are in the northwest.
The rain is on it's way. It is lightly misting this morning. We were hoping for a just a cloudy day today as the lawns need mowing again.
Heard from my daughter and they are not coming this weekend. They are going somewhere else and taking a three day weekend. Boo hoo. Well such is life.
So my husband and I will spend this weekend of rain together . We want to do a little something so we will see what we come up with.
We are rethinking our Reno trip over my birthday. Reason being is, the Eldorado hotel has not offered that players suite room to us. The offers on rooms and packages have been terrific in the past few years and that was the nugget that keep us going there. The reason they offered such incredible room rates was the recession. Now that recovery is in the works the offers are not as good.
We are thinking we will take four-five days and go to Lincoln City. We love it there and we can do the beach thing, get a room on the ocean front with a kitchen as we love to cook while at the beach. There is gambling at the casino, the outlet stores( love the kitchen shops). There is much to do and is only two and half hours from Eugene compared to eight and half.
So today my hubby is getting online and is going to check out hotels and condo's.
We played gin rummy last night until we were almost blind. I was so tired of sitting at the nook table on a wooden chair. We sat there for over three hours. I won two games and my husband won one. Way to go Zo!
I was going to fix chicken pomadora but that did not happen as we were locked in card world. Could we not even stop to make dinner? After we finally finished I made cheese, basil and tomato panni's with tomato soup.
So tonight we have the dinner we were to have last night.
I am going to make a lemon tart today. I was going to do that when I thought I was having company a couple of weeks ago. I love this tart it is so lemony of course but the texture is wonderful, like lemon curd.
As soon as the rain is over we are making beer can chicken on the grill. My man thinks this is the best chicken this side of the heaven. He loves slowly grilling it and with that lovely aroma overwhelming your senses who wouldn't like it?
I must get on with my day.
Have a nice Thursday.
Yes, I bought many viola's today. Tomorrow I will plant them in a big ceramic pot. I cannot wait to see their smiles when they are happily rooted in their new home.
I also purchased a new grill cover to replace the tattered one that has given us five years of service. Everything is looking better daily on the deck.
Rain coming in this weekend however.....that does not make me happy. But today is here and it is a beauty and tomorrow a repeat. So I will live as I always do, in the present.
Hubby just said to me the other day, we have always lived our life in the moment. He is right and living it in that manner brings us much happiness. We are the same.
I am having a rather nice day today. Out and about early so errands are done and the house tidy. So I have the afternoon to meddle in whatever pleases me. First thing is a walk, then I will go from there.
My sweet hard working husband will be home about four and then goes on a bid at five. He is always busy which we are happy for.
We were chatting last night and he was trying to think of a little something fun for us to do this weekend. I will let him come up with an idea. I always go along with whatever I am easy in this manner and he is a very fine planner.
We are still working on that Easter ham. Last night we had a repeat Easter meal. Tonight one more night of ham and then I will save some out for breakfast and sammies and freeze the rest.
So tonight I am making scalloped potatoes with ham and scallions in a cheesy cream sauce.
So I get to use my handy dandy mandoline tonight, goody! It is fun to use and so fast. Also I am preparing a big beautiful green salad with a from scratch creamy Italian dressing and I will make some garlic croutons this afternoon to top it off with.
I forgot to pick up some white wine this morning. We finished off the last bottle in the wine cooler this past weekend. I do have some pinot noir which will go nicely with the meal. So no worry.
As I was typing one of my favorites songs by Adele just came on Pandora. It is called "To make you feel my love". This song brings me to tears as it how I feel about my man.
Some songs can just take you deep into your soul this is such a song.
So on that beautiful thought and song I will start puttering through the remainder of this grand day.
Note: So here we go again the change in font size. I am not going to re-type all these large paragraphs, sorry. I know it looks so odd. I need figure out why this happens. But sad to say I am not most technical person.
