This is my daughter Gina and I on Thursday. This photo was taken at Stonecliff Inn in Carver. One of our favorites places. A table on the deck overlooking the Clackamas river is so perfect. This was the third day of my visit. Gina was playing tour guide to a Kansas family showing them some places she thought may be interesting to them. The reason for this event is that Megan Gina's daughter my granddaughter works for this man. He is her branch manager and she had asked Gina if she would do this. He was on vacation with his wife and two adult sons both civil engineers and one of the sons girl friend a college student. So we all had a early lunch at Stonecliff with a yummy glass of Oregon wine while we strolled some of the areas where the movie Twilight was filmed.
We then drove off toward the Columbia Gorge. First stop was the Women's forum and then onto Crownpoint. Both of these places offer breathtaking views of the river and across to Washington state. We then drove to Multnohma Falls. I had not been there for years so it was interesting to be close up and personal. The crowds of folks though was overwhelming. Then we headed to Bonneville Dam. There again I had not been for a long while. The fish were going over the ladders or trying to and I did not watch long as watching them struggle made me sad. After the dam we headed to Troutdale and McMinnimans Edgefield. There at Edgefield we enjoyed three hours walking the grounds and touring the building, listening to music and doing some wine tasting before dinner on the patio there. The food is always so good for pub grub and the wine was Edgefield's own Black Rabbit red that everyone but the designated driver was enjoying. It was a very full day, ten hours with the Kansas family. They were lovely company and we so enjoyed spending time with this kind generous family.
So my time at my daughters was three fun filled days that we both so enjoyed.
Now back to reality. And reality for me has been busy today. The washer is doing it's thing, the house has been cleaned, I am unpacked, office chores have been attended to and at the moment I have my first roaster pan of tomatoes in the oven and when they are done and cooled I will make my first batch of sauce. I am hoping to make three batches today. It is not difficult it is just time consuming, but while they roast I do other things.
I came home to these sitting on my counter.
My husband was a busy man picking tomatoes while I was gone. He has eaten many fresh as well. As I look at the garden today I see many more ready to be picked. So the sauce making will be a marathon now until tomato season is over and that is quite a while yet. The tomatoes this year are just amazing and I give my hubby credit for that. He has devoted much time keeping them tended.
Tonight for dinner I am making roasted vegetables with tomatoes. It is dish I like very much. Just a crunchy piece of sourdough toast is all you need to complete the meal.
Well my washer has stopped so I need to get the load into the dryer and one more into the washer. Then that chore is done. I do regret I have not walked today but I knew I would spending time in the kitchen today on my feet. I knew my back would not tolerate that if I had walked. So I had to make a choice.
It is good to be home but oh so nice to get away and spend time with my sweet daughter. I was only going to stay two nights but she asked me to please stay an additional night so I could go with them all Thursday.
Gina spoils me so and is so very generous in every way. I just love her so and am so thankful this beautiful person is in my life.
Have a lovely weekend you all.
This sky photo taken from the back door last night. When I stepped out onto the back deck the heat assaulted me with it's intensity and humidity. There was an odor in the air, not quite metallic but bordering near to that. It was still and eerie. I took a couple of photos and retreated to the cool of our house. It was not long after and we heard the rumbling of thunder and later a quick shower came through though when I walked on the wet deck later the heat still had not abated.
I would have liked to stayed up to see the super moon but we both had to be up bright and early this morning. So sadly no super moon photos for us.
I have dye on my hair as I sit here and type. The last dye I put on my hair gave it orange highlights which were to be caramel but believe me it was not. So today I put on a neutral light brown trying to mellow that effect. I really do not need to dye my hair as the only place on my head that is going gray are my temples but I notice when I put dye on my hair every few months it gives my hair more body. When I was a young woman my hair was dark brown with reddish highlights. That was natural for me. But my hair seems to be fading and losing it's richness as the years go by.
So today I am off to pick up one pair of glasses I do not suppose my sunglasses are ready yet as the lenses were a special order. I would be thrilled if they happen to be as I am leaving for Portland tomorrow. As it works out my husband will not be working the days I am at my daughter so he will have his own time in the house to watch the movies he likes and do his own thing(he loves having the kitchen to himself.) It is nice sometimes having time to oneself.
Tonight my husband is making dinner for me. He will make one of his Hungarian specialties. He is on a job today and will stop and buy the ingredients on the way home.
This afternoon I will make my first of many roaster pans full of tomatoes for sauce. The tomatoes are coming now faster than we can eat them fresh. So they will made into tomato sauce to be enjoyed this winter for pasta, pizza and whatever.
The cookies I made yesterday are quite different. A savory sweet crunchy and topped with cinnamon sugar. I have not the time this morning to share the recipe but will do that when I return home. I think it will be a great cookie to go along with coffee or tea. In fact my hubby took two along this morning to have with his coffee and he already had breakfast!
Well I must go take care of my hair. I will not write again until I return in a few days. I am excited for this little outing with my daughter.
Till then.
There she is princess of the blueberry patch. Her mommy and daddy took her. They took lots of photo's looks like they had a really fun day and filled two buckets full of blueberries.
So it has been a few days since I last posted. I have been busy to say the least. I have been to have my eyes checked, selected my frames for two pair of glasses. A simple straight forward pair of Eddie Bauer frames for my main glasses and a designer pair of Jenna Nicole for my sunglasses. I will be smoking as they say in my new sunglasses.....laugh! I only wish seems those days are gone!
But I think I am happy with my selections which took forever as you do not select just any frames when you have progressive lenses the frames have to fit the prescription. So my first few choices for sunglasses were not compatible so I settled for my fourth choice so I hope I like them. My husband patiently waited for me for almost three hours. What a sweet man. He did not complain and helped me out when needed. After I was finished we then picked up our fish from the seafood grotto and raced home with it as quickly we could considering it was rush hour traffic. I was so happy to be home as it had been a long hot afternoon. I ran in the house placed our fish and chips on plates and filled a large wine glass with ice and poured in white wine. Ah, nice to relax.
We have had some good meals over the past three evenings. We have grilled twice and last night we made a veggie meal with loaded bakers, corn on the cob and sliced tomatoes and cukes from our own garden. A nice summer meal.
The tomatoes are really coming on now. We can barely keep pace with eating them fresh though we have them in everything. When they start to accumulate I will start making sauce. It takes about three dozen if I recall to make a quart of sauce. Could be more I have forgotten. One roaster pan full makes a quart that I know.
Well I am off to my daughters in three more days. I will be trying to find her new place out in Oregon City country. This area appears to have been farmland before the developers came in. Rolling hills with trees skirting the fields and farms dotting the landscape. I know this as I pulled up Google Earth and put in my daughters address. I love Goggle Earth as it gives you an amazing view from above. So now most is housing developments. A very nice area of expensive homes. There are like a zillion turns one has to make to get to her house however. I remember when I was doing design work I always made house calls and finding some folks houses was no easy task but I always found the homes with no problems. Now days of course most everyone including us has a GPS. But still my fave method is writing the directions in large print beside me on the seat. I am old school as they say.
My walk was interesting this morning. There was a brisk breeze coming from the north that kept me cool. On the country road there was a farmers wife on her riding lawnmower cutting the grass along the front of their property. It was stirring up a good amount of dust which I had to walk through as I had no recourse. So of course about ten minutes later I started sneezing and my head filled. I wish I was not so allergic to dust and smoke. I am really sensitive to smoke so it is hard for me to enjoy a campfire. The other night when we were using wood chips and rosemary springs in the charcoal cooker the smoke caused me to have to allergy attack. That is not fun! These things never bothered me in the past it has just been the past couple of years I have become so sensitive to them.
Tonight for dinner we are having grilled bone-in chicken thighs. I will precook them as usual as they are hard to get done on the charcoal grill. I am going to make a green rice pilaf and iceberg lettuce salad with tomato,cucumber and onion and ranch dressing as I made ranch dressing last night for our stuffed bakers.
Tomorrow I am going to make Bizcochitos cookies. They are a savory/sweet cookie and the main star in the recipe is anise seeds. This will be my first experience making them but I have tasted them before and loved them. They are more common in Europe. If I like this recipe I will share it with you. I am hoping they will be wonderful as I want to fill a wide mouth mason quart jar with the cookies stacked inside and topped with a fabric cap covering the lid and a ribbon of twine with the recipe attached. This will make a cute container with a bit of whimsy to take to my daughter.
I am going to leave you now on this beautiful summer Saturday. I still have much I want to accomplish today. For one thing my dear husband is going to wash my rig so I will clean the inside after he is through with the outside. I will then have a nice clean car for my trip to Portland. It has always been important to me to have a clean rig when I start on a trip. Also today I have some business paperwork to attend to in the office and must do a load of laundry. So off I go.
Have a good day!
This will be our meal late afternoon so it will double for a late lunch and early dinner. Yeah I have the night off from the kitchen. Our fave place in Eugene for fish and chips other than my own kitchen is Newman's Fish Grotto. We are stopping there as we will be nearby at the eye wear store.
My husband has just left for the home improvement store to buy a couple bags of cement. He needs to fix our sidewalk as it is being lifted up by the roots of our tree that resides between the street and the sidewalk. He is going to make a ramp on both sides of the up-heaved sidewalk.
I am so fortunate that my hubby makes all the repairs to our home. Of course he was a home builder for many years so he can do it all. It really saves us a lot of money as charges for home repairs are expensive.
I have my main house chores done and will walk here directly. I skipped yesterday as my shins were sore but back to it today. And it is cooler today only to be a nice comfortable 83 degree's. I like that. So I am not too worried about it being to hot at nine-thirty when I will walk. I have been getting out the door at eight or earlier in order to avoid the heat.
I heard from my daughter Gina she and her husband are off to join his family on a camping trip in central Oregon. They have been there quite a few times this summer. They love it over there as that is where they both grew up. They looked at a piece of property there to buy for a summer place but the lot was not to their liking so the search continues.
I will be off to my daughters next week in Portland for two nights. The time there will be packed full with seeing my grandchildren and my daughter and I going to lunch and shopping and whatever else we can find to amuse ourselves. I am looking very forward to this getaway though the time goes so fast. I love spending time with her it is always a fun time as we are best friends as well as mother and daughter. I am very fortunate I have such an amazing person in my life.
When I go up to Portland and farther north as I do sometimes to see my brother there are others that I never see that I would love to visit as I grew up in that area. I have a dear friend we met in our first year of high school, I have other high school friends I have not seen for years, I have an ex sister-in-law I am still very close with. I have shirttail relations and nieces and nephews and cousins. It would take me a week or better to see all that I would truly like to see.
This trip I will not be going north of Portland as my brother will be coming here to visit us the last week in August. I am so happy he is making this effort to do so as he has not been here in for a few years.
Well I have no other chatter and I had better tie on those walking shoes and head out the door, down the street to the country road where I walk. All is so summery out today no haze in the sky it is pristine. It will be a good walk.
Later.
This was one amazing salad the best I have ever eaten and that is saying a lot. What made it so scrumptious is this.
My husband put soaked apple wood chips and rosemary springs onto the coals in the charcoal kettle. He slow cooked the salmon chunks with the lid on the kettle and it filled with smoke. The coals were burning low so the salmon grilled slowly we took the pieces off while they were perfectly cooked, just flaking apart. The salmon is Copper River sockeye the best in the world and known for it's flavor as well as it's deep red color.
As for the salad itself I used romaine lettuce hearts, our own garden tomatoes, sweet onion, olive slices, artichoke hearts and a little arugula. For the dressing I used my aioli sauce recipe from Bon Appetit' and thinned to make a dressing out of it. I will post the sauce recipe it is a tasty one.
We had Trader Joe's sourdough crusty boule slices to the side and sipped chilled chardonnay.
AIOLI SAUCE
2 garlic cloves minced
1/4 teas kosher salt
1/2 cup mayo
2 tbl olive oil
1 tbl lemon juice
black pepper
cayenne pepper
In a bowl mash the garlic, and salt until a paste(of sorts)forms.
Whisk in the olive oil and lemon juice and then add the mayo blend well and add black pepper and cayenne pepper to taste.
This is a great sauce for any kind of seafood or chicken.
( If you want to make a dressing for salad just thin with a little water.)
Enjoy!
I have decided to go to Eyemart Express for my eye wear. I called my insurance co and I do have coverage and they will accept my insurance there. That makes me happy. So I have an appointment tomorrow afternoon. I will select my frames, have my exam and then finish up with the measurements etc. So I should have my two new pair of glasses by Friday or Saturday. So one more thing marked off my list.
We have dull skies again today because of the smoke. I read in the paper this morning the smoke is from the northern California fires. It is very high in the sky that is why we are not smelling smoke nor is it effecting the air quality which is good, but it is gloomy. The temps have dropped into the eighties which we are enjoying. So far the air has not been on today we just have the doors open to the screen doors.
I took a walk early and then came home and worked on the back deck cleaning and deadheading my potted flowers and I cut back my mint it was out of control. I never use it for anything but like the smell of it on the deck and I pulled some weeds along the back sidewalk.
My hubby just came in from the garden with a handful of tomatoes. Everyday now we are getting three or four of the red beauties.
Tonight for dinner as I have a half quart of roasted Heirloom tomato sauce(our last jar) I will make spaghetti. I will make the sauce simple with ground round, onions, garlic and green olives. For herbs I will add oregano, fresh thyme, and basil. The sauce does not much as it roasted with garlic, olive oil and salt and pepper. We love pasta with the roasted tomato sauce and this year we have more tomato plants so more sauce for the freezer.
Tomorrow after we have taken care of my eye wear we are stopping at our favorite fish take out place Newman's Fish Grotto. We will bring home their wonderfully juicy deep fried cod. Their fish is never greasy or soggy. They make a crust like I do, a crunchy one made with bread crumbs and panko. Their fries are delicious as well, not to large cut and crispy and salted just right. So I will not need to make dinner tomorrow night which suits me just perfectly.
My husband is weeding our side yard so I am going to be the good wife and put on my gloves and go give him a hand or lets say two!
Later.
We had hubby's sis and husband over for pizza last night. There were only two pieces left when all was said and done. The pizza was fun to make while our guests looked on. They loved the Heirloom roasted tomato sauce and the crust. My sis in law said, Zo you should open a pizzeria. I think NOT. Regardless I like to cook for those that enjoy it.
It was a nice evening though we did not eat outdoors as it was still to hot and muggy at seven when the pizza was pulled out of the oven. We elected to stay in the air conditioned house.
The reason for hot stillness outdoors is we are in somewhat of an inversion due to smoke in the air from all the many wild fires burning in Oregon. So our normal blue skies are now a light gray with a yellow cast. Last night the half moon looked like a orange sail as it hung in the sky. Today the sky is about the same as yesterday and again it will be hot. But there is a cooling trend coming in a couple of days so we will appreciate that.
Well I am out and about tomorrow to get an eye exam. But where? There are so many places to buy eye wear it is just confusing. A few places have specials going such as buy a pair and get a pair free. But are they really specials or are their prices higher than normal prices elsewhere? I am always trying to save a dollar and new glasses when you need two pair are expensive, especially with my no-line bifocal lenses. So this task is something I do not enjoy but I am always happy when I have completed it and have my new eye wear.
My husband is home today he has no jobs lined up at the moment. But all could change as he has bids out there. So now we wait to hear back. He has some of equipment here to work on today as well as other chores so he will stay busy.
I am not walking today as my legs are a little sore so I am going to give them a rest. I have been faithful going for my walk each morning.
I have some office duties to tend to today.
And always on Monday I have laundry it seems.
What to have for dinner tonight? Hmmm here we go again it is hard day after day to come up with ideas. I did not make out a menu for the week but have everything I need to make a variety of meals. So I will talk to my hubby and see what he may be in the mood for. Maybe a salmon salad that sounds good to me especially with our garden tomatoes.
It is already after ten AM as I slept in until eight this morning as we did stay up a little later due to having company. So considering I have much to do I had better throw on some togs and get to work.
Ciao.
I added an extra table, two chairs and umbrella to the deck. So now I have two seating area's. As we are having company tonight for dinner I just wanted to have a little more space to gather. I have had the little white metal bistro set for years. We always had porches in the past and this little set was perfect for sitting and having a cup of coffee in the morning or a glass of wine in the afternoon or evening.
I have been cleaning house today as I have been somewhat neglectful and just tending to the things that I must.
I am making pizza and salad tonight for our guests. It is easy as I can to do all the prep work ahead so I do not have to do a thing while company is here but get the pizza dough ready and add the prepared ingredients. The salad will be made ahead as well as the dressing. The dough is rising as I type.
I always love to have as much done when possible when the guests arrive so I can enjoy myself also.
Our steak last night was heaven in our mouths. I like the new thing I am doing which is making a parsley garlic butter bar. I mix soft unsalted butter with flat leaf parsley and minced garlic and then form a roll out of it and put it back in the fridge. When the steak comes off the grill I then cut slices of the butter mix and put on top the steak cover with foil and let it rest for 8-10 minutes. When I remove the foil the butter has melted leaving the green parsley and garlic on the steak top like a chimichurri sauce. Oh it taste wonderful. We split the ribeye steak something we always do because by the time we have a side salad and a slice of crusty hot sourdough bread with butter it is plenty. After we cleaned up the dinner mess we took the last dredges of our wine outdoors and sat in the patio chairs and looked at the face in the half moon and stayed until the first stars peeked out. It was such a nice evening, warm but not to warm, a very soft gentle summer breeze and the sky was a twilight blue. I will certainly miss summer when fall slips in and chases her away.
Well this past fifteen minutes I have been resting my back. I took another long walk this morning before it got warm and have been busy with cleaning floors and vacuuming so it needed a rest. Now onto the rest of my chores.
Have a lovely summer Sunday.
