Coconut Macaroons

There is a wonderful bakery in a small town called McMinnville, Oregon near my town and they make the best coconut macaroons I have ever had. I have searched and tried many a macaroon recipe trying to duplicate this cookie to no avail, until today.

I have found a recipe and unfortunately I don't know the source. I read it months ago and took screenshots of the recipe where it has been sitting on my phone. I decided to give it a whirl today and it is a perfect macaroon.  Loaded with coconut, sweet, gooey in the middle, crunchy around the edges....just delightful. The other positive thing is that it is an easy recipe to make with no need for getting out the mixer. 

Coconut Macaroons

4 egg whites
1 1/4 cup sugar
1 Tbsp honey
1/4 tsp salt
Mix together in medium saucepan over low until tepid. Do not overheat.

Add:
1/4 cup flour
1 cup toasted coconut
1 1/2 cup shredded coconut
1/2 tsp vanilla

Heat over medium heat stirring constantly until mixture resembles thick mashed potatoes.

Put mixture in bowl and cool to room temperature.

Preheat oven to 350 deg.

Place mixture in 1/8 cup mounds on parchment lined baking sheet.

Cook for 18-20 minutes until golden brown.  Cool on rack.

Pan de Cristal (Glass Bread)

 

With a rainy Monday and no plans, I decided to try my hand at a recipe that looked intriguing from King Arthur's Baking website. I get a weekly newsletter from this excellent company and have always found them well tested with plenty of helpful hints to achieve success.

This was last weeks King Arthur's Recipe of the Week and the pictures posted of this bread looked so delicious. A dark crust, just how we like it at our house and an extremely porous looking texture. Here's the thing; it takes a minimum of six hours to make so it's not something to tackle if you're not dedicated to running in and out of the kitchen all day.

I started by printing out the recipe and it was FIVE pages long. A bit intimidating and I thought  "What have I gotten myself into?" I read and reread the recipe a few times and then pulled up my sleeves and got started. Initially, when I got the ingredients (bread flour, salt, yeast, and water) it was so loose it was almost like waffle batter. That, apparently, is the secret to making the phenomenally crackly crust. 

Well, throughout the day as I went in every 20 minutes to twist and fold this dough, it turned very manageable and when it was time to bake, it had nice fat bubbles erupting on the surface . It makes four small loaves, approximately 5" x 7" and it can be reheated in the oven to refresh the crispness.  

The Husband and I cut into and tasted the first loaf still hot from the oven because who can wait and I can honestly say it was the best bread I have ever tasted. Seriously delicious.   Here is the link to the recipe if you're looking to challenge your bread making skills, https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/recipes/pan-de-cristal-recipe

Amish Friendship Bread

 

Those of you of certain age may recall back in the 70's and 80's there was a trend where home bakers were making Amish Friendship Bread.  The deal was that it was similar to sourdough bread in that there was always a cup or so of starter each week that either had to be thrown out as one replenished the original starter OR....the excess was shared with friends along with the recipe, thus the title of this delicious bread.

I received numerous starters from people I worked with and I know I made the bread, but I don't recall ever keeping the starter going or sharing it with others. I recall enjoying this quick bread but totally forgot about it until I was recently perusing through a newly purchased Cook's Country cookbook and came upon a recipe for Friendship Bread that doesn't require a starter batter.  It's a straight forward recipe, utilizing lot's of cinnamon and sugar. I added raisins to one of the loaves and I think you could add any other dried fruit or nuts to your liking. Your home will smell amazing while this is baking. The recipe makes 2 loaves; one for you and one to share with a friend!

 

Amish Friendship Bread

3½ cups granulated sugar, divided use

1 tablespoon PLUS 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, divided use

1⅓ cups PLUS 2 teaspoons vegetable oil, divided use

3¾ cups all-purpose flour

1½ teaspoons baking powder

¾ teaspoon baking soda

¾ teaspoon salt

1¾ cups milk

3 eggs, lightly beaten

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

In a small bowl, thoroughly combine ½ cup of the sugar and 1 teaspoon of the cinnamon; set aside.

Brush 2 (8½-by-4½-inch) metal loaf pans with vegetable oil, using 1 teaspoon per pan. Add 2 tablespoons of the cinnamon-sugar to each loaf pan and tilt to coat the bottom and sides evenly; set pans and remaining cinnamon-sugar aside.

Heat oven to 325 degrees.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the remaining 3 cups sugar, the 3¾ cups flour, the remaining tablespoon cinnamon, the baking powder, baking soda and salt.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the milk, eggs, the remaining 1⅓ cups vegetable oil and the vanilla extract.

Stir the milk mixture into the flour mixture, mixing just until moistened. Batter will be lumpy. Divide batter between the prepared pans. Divide and sprinkle the remaining ¼ cup cinnamon-sugar over the batter in each pan.

Bake 65 to 70 minutes or until a tester inserted near the center of each loaf comes out clean. Cool loaves in pans on a wire rack for 1 hour. Run a paring knife or offset spatula around the edges of the loaves to loosen. Gently tilt pans to remove each loaf. Serve warm or at room temperature. Loaves will keep wrapped in foil for up to 3 days.

Makes 2 loaves.

Recipe adapted from Cook's Country December/January 2019

 

Copycat Brach's Gumdrop Nougat Candy

 

When growing up, I loved the Brach's candy stand in the grocery store, chock-a-block full of sweet treats. On those rare occasions when my mom would fill up one of those pink and white striped bags, these gumdrop white nougat candies would always be included.  I believe they were her favorite, as they were mine.

I was recently watching some candy making You Tube videos thinking perhaps I'll get ambitious this holiday season and whip up a few batches of candy to share as gifts and I came across a video showing how to make these nougat candies. Let me just say, they are drop dead easy to make and are very similar to the taste of the real thing.  The nougat is not quite as chewy, but at my age with the number of crowns in my mouth, that's probably good.

I asked The Husband if he liked these and he placed them as his #1 worst candy, with Circus Peanuts running a close second.  I guess I will not be putting any in his stocking.

If you have 10 minutes to spare and are interested in whipping up a confection, this might be the recipe you've been waiting for.

Copycat Brach's Gumdrop Nougat Candy 

4 packed cups of miniature marshmallows

1 cup white chocolate chips

1 Tbsp butter

Pinch of salt

1 tsp vanilla

6.5 oz box of Dots

Place marshmallows, chips, and butter in a large microwaveable bowl. Place on high in microwave and cook, stopping every 15 seconds or so to stir. Use a spatula sprayed with vegetable spray.  Once this mixture is completely melted,  quickly add salt, vanilla and gumdrops and combine. Pour mixture in a 8x8 inch pan lined with parchment paper. I used a foil pan and just sprayed with vegetable spray and it worked very well. Leave in refrigerator for at least 2-3 hours.  Using an oiled knife, cut into 1 inch cubes and wrap each cube in wax or parchment paper.

The recipe states if well wrapped, these will last for a few weeks. We'll see about that!

Blueberry Muffins Redux

 

Happy National Blueberry Muffin Day.  Who knew? An hour or so after The Husband and I had eaten our blueberry muffins I made using fresh berries picked from our blueberry bush, he sent me a tweet announcing this fruity holiday. What a coincidence....or could it just be a blatantly manufactured "holiday" created by the blueberry producers of America?  Whatever the reason, any day is a good day for blueberry muffins.

The recipe I use is from a McCalls cookbook my parents gave me when I was still in high school. I have made this recipe so many times over the years, I don't even need to open the book.  It's an easy, one-bowl recipe. I often get all the ingredients together the night before so I can get these in the oven in 10 minutes in the morning. I have blogged these before, but they are so good, they deserve an encore.

Blueberry Muffins

Preheat oven to 400 deg.

Grease 12 muffin tins

2 cups all purpose flour

1/3 cup sugar

3 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup milk

1 beaten egg

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries

Extra sugar for sprinkling tops of muffins

In a medium bowl mix together dry ingredients. Add blueberries and toss in flour mixture. Add milk, egg, and oil. Combine until well combined with dry mix but do not over mix. Fill the muffin cups to approximately 3/4 full.. Bake in preheated oven 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown. Enjoy!

 

Sunday Fun-Day Shrimp Chow Fun

 

This week's new recipe is a favorite in Chinese restaurants, Chow Fun. It is a rice noodle dish with various vegetables, and a protein of your liking.  I went for fat, meaty prawns for our dish, but it works with grilled tofu, chicken, or beef.  

I got this particular recipe from a popular You Tube chef and his channel is called Yeung Man Cooking.  I will not plagiarize his recipe as he has a cookbook to sell. . Instead, I will direct you to his video where he puts this dish together using tofu. 

My assessment of this recipe is that though it was flavorful and not a difficult recipe, I probably won't make it again. I always feel when I cook Asian food, it never tastes as delicious as when the pros make them.  I buy all kinds of ingredients for these dishes and then find I don't use them again. 

 

Croque Monsieur

 

I have been in such a recipe rut as this pandemic and quarantine has continued on for so long. Having to think of meals to cook every day for 15 months has taken its toll on my cooking creative juices.  Even though restaurants are opening up again, I have given myself a challenge to try a brand new recipe once a week.

This week took The Husband and I on a virtual foodie tour down the Champs Elysee where we stopped at a charming French bistro and ate this delicious Croque Monsieur and a simple green salad. It's a very rich sandwich so nothing more was needed. Okay, I'm fibbing a little. Some mousse au chocolat would have been a divine dessert. 

Croque Monsieur

Sandwiches

• 8 slices hearty white sandwich bread
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 12 ounces thinly sliced Black Forest deli ham
• ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 4 ounces Gruyère cheese, shredded (1 cup)     

Mornay Sauce

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 cup whole milk
• 4 ounces Gruyère cheese, shredded (1 cup)
• ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon pepper
• Pinch ground nutmeg

INSTRUCTIONS

1. FOR THE SANDWICHES: Adjust oven rack 6 inches from broiler element and heat oven to 375 degrees. Line rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray with vegetable oil spray.

2. Brush bread on both sides with melted butter and place on prepared sheet. Bake until light golden brown on top, about 10 minutes. Remove sheet from oven and flip slices. Return to oven and bake until golden brown on second side, about 3 minutes. Reserve 4 slices for sandwich tops; evenly space remaining 4 slices on sheet.

3. FOR THE MORNAY SAUCE: Melt butter in small saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in flour and cook for 1 minute. Slowly whisk in milk and bring to boil. Once boiling, remove from heat and quickly whisk in Gruyère, Parmesan, salt, pepper, and nutmeg until smooth.

4. Spread 1 tablespoon Mornay on each slice of toast on sheet. Then, folding ham slices over themselves multiple times so they bunch up, divide ham evenly among slices of toast. Spread 2 tablespoons Mornay on 1 side of each reserved slice of toast and place slices Mornay side down on top of ham.

5. Spread 2 tablespoons Mornay evenly over top of each sandwich, making sure to completely cover toast, including edges (exposed edges can burn under broiler). Sprinkle sandwiches with Parmesan, followed by Gruyère.

6. Bake until cheese on top of sandwiches is melted, about 5 minutes. Turn on broiler and broil until cheese bubbles across tops of sandwiches and edges are spotty brown, about 5 minutes. Serve.

Happy Pi Day

 

It's been awhile since I made a pie so I got motivated today to whip something together.  My choices with what I had on hand were some questionable apples in the fridge, pudding mix in the cupboard, or a can of cherry pie filling on the pantry shelf. Cherry will always win out at our house.

 

Rather than reinvent the wheel, I stuck to my favorite pie crust recipe which is the recipe my grandma and mom used when they baked tarts.  You can find it here.  Because I am inherently lazy and also because I love streusel topping, I opted for that as opposed to a top pastry crust.  Below is the basic ingredients to put that together.  I rolled out the crust and placed it in a regular 9 inch pie plate, threw in the cherry pie filling, topped with the streusel topping, and baked at 400 degrees for 35 minutes.Voila!

 

 Streusel Pie Topping

1 stick room temperature butter

1 cup flour

3/4 cup brown sugar

dash of salt

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

With a pastry cutter or your fingers, mix everything together until it makes a cohesive crumble. Distribute evenly over the pie of your choice.

Snowball Cookies Redux

 

Christmas is one week away and I have to admit I have not been very interested this year. I am sure I am not alone in this sentiment.  Seeing that The Husband and I will be not be leaving our humble abode and will not be receiving any visitors, I felt there was no reason to do my usual batches of holiday treats.

This afternoon I had a slight change in my bah humbug attitude and decided to make one batch of traditional cookies I grew up with, the snowball cookie.  These have a special place in my heart as they were my dear dad's favorite.  The other thing is that they are super easy to make.  I blogged about these originally here and today I used a simpler recipe that didn't even require hauling out the mixer.

Wishing one and all happy holidays and may 2021 be a much better year for all of you and for our country.

Snowball Cookies

1 cup all purpose flour

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 pinch kosher salt

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups finely chopped pecans or walnuts 

1/2 cup warmed butter, cut in cubes

1/2 cup powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper

In a bowl combine flour, granulated sugar, salt, vanilla,and nuts until mixed together. Add butter with your hands and combine until mix resembles a coarse crumble. Form cookies into 1 inch balls and place on cookie sheet. Bake for 15 minutes or until light golden brown.  While cookies are still slightly warm, roll them in powdered sugar and place on cooling rack. Makes 15-20 cookies.

 

Yorkshire Pudding Redux

 

Going back to the well with my Yorkshire Pudding recipe..This side dish has been a favorite food my entire life.  It was served by my Yorkshire grandmother when the Chase clan would come for Sunday dinner. It was served by my mother along with our Christmas prime rib. It has been one of my favorite things to make when on occasion, I make a roast beef dinner. The smell of this entire dinner cooking certainly evokes fond memories of both my grandparents and parents home when I was growing up.

I have an entry in my blog of the recipe my mom and grandmother used but I have found a new and I think improved recipe that I find makes for very satisfying results. I use a popover recipe and have an actual popover pan that I use to make super high and puffy Yorkshire pudding. I use a dab of beef fat from the roast as well as spraying the sides of the pan with Pam to ensure easy release.  

The one thing I would recommend when making these is to put a baking sheet on the bottom shelf of the oven to catch any drips of batter or grease that might spill out as these puddings puff  up in the pan. The last major oven fire we had (and there have been a few in our kitchen) was caused by Yorkshire pudding drippings.

There it is. The perfect English Sunday dinner, minus roasted potatoes because,well,...who needs those when you have Yorkshire Pudding.

 

Yorkshire Pudding or American Popovers

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

3 eggs

1 cup milk

3 Tbsp vegetable oil

1 cup flour

1/2 tsp salt

Whisk eggs, milk, and oil together. Sift flour and salt over wet mixture. Whisk into a smooth batter. 

Put 1 tsp beef fat or vegetable oil in the bottom of popover pan. Spray sides of each cup with Pam.  Place pan in oven for approximately 5 minutes to heat up oil. Carefully remove hot pan from oven and fill each cup no more than 1/2 full. Place in oven with cookie sheet below pan. Bake for 30-35 minutes, Take out of pan and serve immediately.   

Tea Time Treats

 

It's raining and windy and not a day for my much loved hike in the park so I decided to bake, my other passion.  Unlike hiking which helps me burn calories, baking can be detrimental to my health.  My excuse today was to bake some shortbread cookies to give as a hostess gift to our best friends who have invited us for a socially distanced Thanksgiving next week.

These cookies are a breeze to make. I baked two types-regular butter shortbread and a brown sugar shortbread, Quality assurance is so important so I taste tested both of them. My preference is the brown sugar version. Both go perfect with a nice cup of black tea. If you are looking for a quick cookie for yourself or to give as a gift, these might fit the bill.  They freeze and pack up very well.

Happy Thanksgiving to you all.

Butter Shortbread Cookies  (makes approximately 24 3 inch cookies)

1 stick softened butter

1/4 cup powdered sugar

1/4 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup all purpose flour

1/4 tsp baking powder

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.Cream together butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla. Slowly mix in flour and baking powder. Mix until a soft dough is formed. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for approximately 30 minutes. Roll out dough on lightly floured board to approximately 1/16th of an inch.  Cut out cookies with 3 inch cookie cutter. Place on parchment lined cookie sheet. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until pale brown. Let cool on rack.

Brown Sugar Shortbread Cookies (makes approximately 30 3 inch cookies)

1 stick softened butter

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/4 cup all purpose flour

1/4 tsp baking powder

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.Cream together butter, brown sugar, and vanilla. Slowly mix in flour and baking powder. Mix until a soft dough is formed. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for approximately 30 minutes. Roll out dough on lightly floured board to approximately 1/16th of an inch.  Cut out cookies with 3 inch cookie cutter. Place on parchment lined cookie sheet. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until pale brown. Let cool on rack.

Declutter Dilemmas

One of my retirement goals is to declutter accumulated things from the past that I no longer have a need for.  This includes clothing, kitchen items, books, photos, etc.  I was so excited about having the time to do this but it has, in fact, brought me some angst.

I started with books first.  I have 3 book shelves filled with my books. This does not include the two bookshelves filled with over 100 cookbooks in our kitchen.  The Husband has 2 bookshelves which I will leave to him, as only he can decide what books are dear to him.

This project was fairly easy for me. There were many books I had read once and if after 20 or more years I hadn't decided to re-read them, into the donation bag they went.  I also have been carting around with me for FORTY years textbooks relating to my minor and major that I guess someday I thought I might need for reference. I didn't!  What to do with all of these books was the next hurdle.

I took all my novels, non-fiction, and travel books to a second hand book store in town that gives credit for books and then when you buy a book from them they use your credit and give you half off the price of your purchase.  Let's just say we have a lot of credit on their books that will take some time to use up.  They had no interest in some of my books, including the textbooks which I just packed up and gave to Goodwill.  Perhaps there will be some recreation or psychology student who would like to read some outdated notions in their particular disciplines.  Anyway, they are gone from my house which is all that matters.

Next project I decided to tackle was dishes.  This is where I am having some anxiety.  I started collecting tea cups when I was a young girl, perhaps in 6th grade. I wrote about this in an earlier blog here. I know exactly which one was my first but I love them all.  The thing is I never use them. I am lucky to have a built-in china cupboard in our house but most likely will not have this space when next we move.  Not only do I have all of the china and glassware, we also have an entire set of dishes and silverware from my mother-in-law we must eventually deal with.

So the reason for this particular blog entry is to get some feedback from anyone who has gone through serious downsizing.  What should I do with my dishes? Any thoughts will be appreciated.

Exploring My World

It has been almost 4 months since I retired and I have yet to be bored. My days are never alike and I so enjoy being out and about, either on foot or driving, discovering the world around me.  I feel as though during my 40 years of working I was so limited in what I was able to do because of time constraints.  Though I was able to do quite a lot of world travel, there was always a restriction on the number of days I could be away from my job and in the back of my mind loomed the inevitable having to get home to resume the rat race.


Now I wake up with absolutely no restrictions as to what I can do each day.  Of course I am mindful of our finances, particularly because The Husband is still working and I certainly don't want to be frivolous with our money. I have discovered though that there is so much to do around this beautiful part of the world that doesn't cost a thing or can be done at a very reasonable price.

For instance, yesterday I wanted to go for a walk in the morning and for some reason I thought about The Oregon Garden ( https://www.oregongarden.org/ ) found just 10 miles away in the charming little town of Silverton, Oregon.  I have been there a couple times before since it opened in 2002, but I never really took the time to explore. They have a tram that will drive people around the perimeter of the grounds which is what I did both other times.  This time I opted to walk. What a treat!  First because I was able to do so without any difficulty, and second, because there was so much to see that I had been previously unaware.

As usual, I was there before they opened on a grey, misty Tuesday morning and was Guest #1 for the day.  With trusty trail map in one hand and my camera in the other, I took off down the path.  The air was cool, there was no one about but some of the gardeners, and the only sounds through much of my walk were the birds singing.

The garden is set up in many different "rooms" highlighting various plants, trees, and shrubs.  There were water features, a sensory garden, a serpent made of oyster shells,  various types of forests, as well as a beautiful area where weddings are held. In addition to the garden, right outside the gate is the only Frank Lloyd Wright designed home in Oregon called the Gordon House. It is certainly interesting to look at close up and read the information about it's architectural style.

Perhaps it was too early in the season, or perhaps it's because we have had a rather cold beginning of spring, but there were not many blooming flowers to be found.  It didn't matter to me though because we are lucky to have so many flower gardens/farms around here that I will explore as things begin to come into full bloom.

My walk turned out to be about 1 1/2 miles altogether but it could have been longer had I gone down every path available.  I was so pleased and impressed with the garden I decided to purchase an annual membership with unlimited entry until April 30, 2020.  I will make up the cost in just 3 visits which I fully intend to do. On a side note, I was able to get my membership at the Senior price and as I said earlier, I am all about frugality, but there is still something quite shocking to my ego/reality that I qualify as a Senior. How did this happen?

Swedish Visiting Cake

One of my retirement goals I have fallen short on so far over the past 3 months is trying a new recipe once a week.  It's not that I have been idle, because I certainly haven't.  I just haven't felt inspired to spend time in the kitchen.  So many other things to explore with all my new found freedom, with walking regularly at the top of my list.


Today I made soup to take over to my BFF's for lunch and along with the soup (cabbage and potato in case you were wondering), I bought a loaf of wonderful, crusty French bread and I made a new cake recipe.  It is from one of my favorite cookbook writers, Dorie Greenspan and it's from her Baking book.  Anyone who loves to bake should check out this very complete and detailed book with recipes ranging from cookies to breads, cakes, pies, and all things yummy.


This particular cake recipe was so easy which is why it appealed to me this morning.  It is a one bowl cake, requiring no electric mixer, and most people would have the basic ingredients required in their homes.  I had it made and in the oven within 10 minutes.  The end results was a lovely, subtly flavored cake perfect for after our lunch.  It would be delicious with a cup of tea or coffee for an afternoon treat.  I highly recommend this cake and I love the name of it too!

Swedish Visiting Cake

From Dorie Greenspan’s Baking Book

1 cup sugar (plus more more sprinkling on top right before baking) grated zest of one lemon
2 eggs
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla (I used 2 tsp of vanilla paste and opted not to use almond extract)
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1 cup flour
1 stick melted butter, cooled
1/4 cup sliced almonds

In a medium bowl, add the lemon zest to the sugar. Rub the zest and sugar in between your fingers to release the oils, the sugar will start to smell delicious.

Whisk in the eggs one at a time.

Whisk in the salt and the extracts.

Change to a spatula and stir in the flour.

Fold in the butter.

Stir until combined. This can me made in a 9-inch cast iron skillet, cake pan, or pie pan. I used a little of the melted butter to grease the pan.

Pour the batter into the pan and top with the sliced almonds and a generous sprinkling of sugar.

Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 20 to 25 minutes. It will be golden and the edges will have a nice crust.

Let the cake cool in the pan for about 5 minutes and then take a knife and run it around the edge of the pan.

Fifty Years of Friendship: A Love Letter

Dear Patti,
How can it be that 50 years have gone by since we first met in junior high on March 5th, 1969? I realize that date may not be 100% accurate. Perhaps we met sometime prior, but we do both remember attending our mutual friend's birthday party on that date, so we decided to make that our annual Friendaversary date.

What an adventure it has been knowing you all this time! We have seen each other through all of life's ups and downs-births, deaths, relationships, weddings, funerals, jobs, travel, and just the routines of daily minutia. Sometimes I start to tell The Husband something perhaps on the trivial side and he will say "That sounds like something Patti would like to hear" and he is exactly right. You always do (or at least you pretend well).

There are a few significant reasons why I believe our friendship has endured 50 years while other friendships have come and gone. One of those things is constant communication. There has rarely been a day that we haven't touched base with each other in one way or another.

Back in the day we had our rotary phones (ES-72340) where we would call each other as teenage girls and yack for hours, arranging outings like school trips, cruising downtown, or trips to your lake cabin as examples. When you went off to Western our first year of college, we wrote letters back and forth sharing our experiences. Once we became roommates when I joined you at WWU, our adventures really began and we never quit talking, even in the many classes we took together, much to our professors chagrin. When you married your beloved husband and he moved you away to Oregon, we continued talking over the phone constantly as our long distance phone bills indicated. Nowadays there are so many ways to stay in touch it's mind boggling. So, even though we live in the same town we are constantly finding new ways to amuse each other via Facebook, texts, and our newest discovery, video chatting. Someday we may even master that particular technology.

A second reason we have endured is our differences. You have always brought out my sometimes repressed sense of adventure and challenged my fears with your unbound zest for life. I, on the other hand, at times try to rein you in on those rare occasions when it's just a little bit necessary. I am a rule follower while you have a devil-may-care attitude. I love that about you and have always been a bit envious of that characteristic.  You accessorize, I don't!

The last and most important thing that has kept us going is laughter. Since the time we met, constant, never-ending, silly, wicked, ridiculous laughter. There was an instance early in our friendship when we were seniors in high school and we were environmental camp counselors. The school principal was making a speech to the little grade school children and you leaned in and whispered something in my ear I thought at the time was terribly naughty. I nearly died trying to contain myself.  It has been like that ever since. We have set each other off in the most awkward of situations, to the point of having to separate ourselves, or be separated by others in order to regain our composure. Museums, lecture halls, churches, jobs, funerals, weddings, restaurants-nothing is sacred.  It is this laughter that has gotten us through all of life's difficulties as well as brought us so much joy and unadulterated fun.

I could write volumes detailing the innumerable experiences we have had together, but words cannot encapsulate this amazing gift of knowing you for 50 years.  I look forward to many more years of sharing life's rich pageantry of experiences and all of their humorous moments with you.

Forever your friend,
Love, Sue

In The Moment

I am making good progress on one of my retirement pledges to walk.  Not doing so well yet on some of the others such as cleaning out closets and cupboards, but I have plenty of time for that (she says optimistically)! 

To say I as out of shape while I was working would be an major understatement. The hospital where I worked is huge and sometimes it could be 1/4 mile from where I would end up parking to my office. I could do short spurts, but I had no endurance.

Since January, I have worked up to being able to walk 3 miles without a single ache, pain, or issue. I am able to enjoy my surroundings, observe the flora and fauna-as much as there is in an urban environment, and really have a peaceful meditation time in the outdoors. It is one of the most enjoyable parts of this new non-work lifestyle.

Today's walk led me up and down the streets of my neighborhood, through the beautiful forest park near my house, and down my favorite street where I imagine the interiors of various wonderful old homes. I heard various birds, including a noisy woodpecker and some somber sounding mourning doves, saw a flock of hens pecking around in the grass while busily clucking at each other, a couple of squirrels chasing each other up and down a massive cedar tree, smelled the wonderful scent of wood smoke and rich mulchy earth, observed more and more early spring bulbs starting to peek out from their winter underground, and even some new buds on a cherry tree.

Being in the moment while I am on my little treks is extremely beneficial for erasing any cares I may have (such as current politics) and resets my mind and body in the most healthy way.  I have included a picture of a poem by the late Ursula K. LeGuin that someone had framed and posted at the edge of their yard. Lovely, and I am happy to say I made it home before the skies opened up and rained up a storm.

Picture This

We have a new camera and do I have a lot to learn.  This is something I have wanted for ages, a Nikon DSLR. I have had a small Fuji FinePix point and shoot type of camera and if I do say so myself, I have taken some good shots with it over the years. In fact, this blog was created because of buying that camera and needing a reason to take pictures.

Now though I have an honest-to-goodness professional camera and it's a bit overwhelming. I have been watching many YouTube videos on this particular model and its' settings and capabilities. I have started to experiment a bit just inside the house and as soon as the weather improves some, I can't wait to take it out and about.

I will say it isn't as convenient as my little Fuji camera or my cell phone for just sticking it in my purse and having a camera at the ready, but when I am ready to really try my hand at still life photos or portraits, I can't wait to use this new one. 

It has a multitude of settings for particular scenes already pre- programmed, but I have been learning about using the manual mode and setting things myself as I did with the picture above.  This picture was taken in rather low lighting with the aperture set low so as to blur the background objects with a clear focal point.  I absolutely love the detail this camera can capture.  If you look very closely you can see the dust bits on the rocks.  Perhaps I need to put the camera down and get out the dust cloth!

Slowing Down

The first thing on my retirement list is "Slow Down." It's been 1 month and 2 days since I retired and I am beginning to acclimatize myself to this new lifestyle, with slowing down being my number one priority.  I was so used to having daily stress in my life; either self-imposed or mandated by the nature of my work that it was second nature.  I now find myself with no deadlines or time constraints and it's revolutionary. Not only has my body become more relaxed, but my thoughts have slowed down and I am experiencing a wonderful peace of mind.


The second thing on my list is "Walk." Opening up my senses by getting outside in the elements is something I have always enjoyed, but rarely made time for while working. Though we have a treadmill (aka clothes rack) in our basement, when I have used it in the past, it has been like torture. Nothing more boring in the world, even if listening to music or watching TV.


Walking through my neighborhood looking at others houses and yards, gardens, trees, and parks is far more interesting. Venturing outside my neighborhood and walking with my BFF is another great luxury we are able to do. What fun it is to have her company as we discover new places.  As we work on our endurance and are able to go greater distances, we will start exploring parks and gardens throughout our region and discover all the glories the Willamette Valley has to offer.


I have included a few pictures from some of my recent walks for your viewing pleasure and hope to create additional blogs of my future adventures.

Yum Yum Bowl

Food bowls are a thing.  They appear on menus of many restaurants these days. I have recently experienced two very good ones; one called a Philosophy bowl and the other was called a Harvest Pasta bowl.  I decided to try to make my own version and created a hybrid of these two bowls.

My bowl creation has a base of brown rice and the toppings include roasted vegetables of Brussels sprouts, tomatoes, and butternut squash then sprinkled with roasted pumpkin seeds, dried cranberries, and crumbled goat cheese.  A dollop of hummus and a drizzle of lemon-tahini dressing completes the dish. I have included the recipe I use for the lemon-tahini dressing.

This may not be the prettiest of all lunches, but it is packed with a depth of flavors and a variety of textures. It is also a nutritious meal that is quite fulfilling. 


Lemon Tahini Dressing
In bowl, whisk together 8 Tbsp sesame tahini, 1/4 cup each of lemon juice and extra-virgin olive oil, 2 Tbsp each of water and finely chopped flat leaf parsley, 2 tsp minced garlic, 1/2 tsp kosher salt, and 1/8 tsp cayenne.

Grilled or Toasted

There has been an ongoing debate in my home for years.  I call a cooked cheese sandwich a toasted cheese and The Husband always states "It's grilled cheese." I must have grown up in a household where the former title was used and I have always called it that.  What say the rest of you?



No matter.  Today I made lunch for the bestie and the menu consisted of rather unsophisticated childhood favorites of toasted cheese sandwiches, tomato soup, homemade dill pickles (thanks Jodi), and butterscotch pudding.  What raised the sandwich to adult heights was the use of three types of cheese.

Recently while on vacation, we made a stop at the Tillamook Cheese Factory where I couldn't resist stocking up on some delicious varieties of cheeses including Monterey Jack and a  three year aged cheddar, one of their special reserve cheeses. Today's three cheeses included those as well as real, honest-to-goodness Parmesan-Reggianno.  When done, the combination of these cheeses really raised the sandwich to a new level.
 
You can't go wrong with a bowl of hot, creamy tomato soup along with the sandwich for a classic duo. An occasional dip of the sandwich into the soup is a must.  A creamy butterscotch pudding with just a squirt of whipped cream was the perfect sweet ending.  My bestie had announced earlier in the day that when she gets old and loses all her teeth, all she wants to eat is butterscotch pudding!

Obviously, no recipe for this lunch menu. I'm starting off slowly getting back into my blog. I'm still getting used to having time off and cooking has not been at the top of my agenda.