Aloha Friday

picture via me!

Hello sunny Friday!   It's nice to have the sun still around at the end of September.  We've been lucky that fall hasn't arrived in full force yet.   However I think today is the last day of Indian summer. No real plans for the weekend.  Bridgeport is having a private event called Food & Cork that G and I might head over to.  Yes there is a game but its in Arizona against our old coach.  It will be a great weekend to just relax and get some things done around the house in preparation for the trip!

A hui hou kakou malama pono

Countdown

I am so excited!  We are going back to the Island for our anniversary for a whole week! 

I can hardly wait to board the ferry and leave all my cares on the mainland.  I think I might make myself one of those chains of paper rings like you did when you were a kid for a countdown to Christmas.  You know the one.   You think I'm joking but I'm half serious.  What color to make the rings...... 

Wednesday Wisdom

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Aloha Friday

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Crazy week, crazy Friday.  
I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend.  It's going to be 85 here tomorrow and then 67 and rainy on Sunday - how crazy it that? 
Game day tomorrow - we play UCLA and we need to win, for Mike's sake.  Perhaps that will put a rest to the Mike bashing....for now.
 

A hui hou kakou malama pono

Wednesday Wisdom



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Good luck not good bye

Today my friend is moving to Boise.  It's where she came from when she moved here 15+ years ago.  I will miss her yes but also this is what's best for her.  I see nothing but good things for her in the future.  She will be close to her mom and one of her sisters and her family.  I know it was a hard and scary decision for her to make and I am proud of her for taking the leap!   She is moving from a one bedroom apartment with a carport to a 3 bedroom 2 bath townhouse with a 2 car garage!   And a yard for Bella!  She deserves every square inch.   Things will be different without her that's for sure.   Even though she worked retail she still had a holiday party every year.   And gave away a great little homemade treat.  It will seem weird not to have it this year.   I will however go to visit her - G and I will go or I will go w/ W.   I have another friend who I grew up with that I would love to see as well

Good Luck L - I will miss you but I know you will be fabulous in Boise!

Thank you Alice

Alice Water's is the reason.   The reason for what you might ask.   The reason we have organic and local foods in our market. The reason for us to think about where our produce comes from and how it is grown.  I try to live the 100 rule as much as possible and whenever possible partly because I adore Alice and all she stands for.  I would have her at my table of 10 and hopefully she would make something and bring it as well.    And since Chev Panisse is celebrating its 40 year anniversary I got out my latest book of Alice's and decided to make Tomato soup.   Now for those of you who know me right now your thinking.... What?.....because you see I used to - yes used to - detest tomato soup. 

It's from the book The Art of Simple Food

Here's the recipe

Warm a heavy bottom pan.  Add:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
1 medium onion, sliced
1 small leek, white and light green parts sliced (did not use this as I didn't have any on hand)
Pinch of salt
Cover and cook until soft but not brown - add water to keep from browning if necessary (I didn't have to)Add
2 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced
Cook for about 2 minutes and add:
2 pounds ripe tomatoes (about 10 medium) washed, sliced, and cored
1 scant tablespoon white rice (add this it helps to thicken the soup)
Large pinch of salt (I prefer sea salt)
1/2 bay leaf (I didn't add this)
1 small sprig savory, thyme, or basil (I put in a big bunch of basil)
Cover over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until tomatoes fall apart.  (If you like chunkier soup don't cook as long)
Add:
1 cup water (I left this out after the first batch so my soup would be thicker)
1 tablespoon butter)
Conti\inue cooking for another 10 minutes.  Remover the herbs.  Ladle into blender or use an immersion blender.  You can pass through a strainer but I don't - I love the real consistency.

I'll be honest.  I added just a smig of sugar to one batch and a little curry to another.   You could play around and do all kinds of things.  You could add a little cream or sour cream as well but personally I wouldn't do that and then freeze it, I would do that when I was getting ready to eat it.  Also, I doubled this recipe twice after I made the first batch.  For 10 lbs of tomatoes (and I still have at least 10 more lbs on the counter) I now have a little under 7 quarts of soup!  Yea for the freezer and enjoying this in the cold of the winter for lunches and perhaps dinners.   On tap for dinner tonight.....grilled cheese and homemade tomato soup!  Think I will make some homemade croutons to go on the tops as well.

Aloha Friday

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Here's to Friday and welcoming the weekend!  The rain is back but I have to say I'm not that sad to see it.  Everything is so dry and brown.  A little rain this weekend will be nice to wash off the dust of the summer.   Check back in with me in November when its been raining for 8 weeks solid and I might feel differently but for now I'm ok with a sprinkle or two.

A hui hou kakou malama pono

Wednesday Wisdom



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Hello Fall



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Hello Fall you arrived this morning.  Well I actually felt you a while ago but the weather was still warm so you seemed to be in the background.   This morning however you have arrived in full force.   It was misty this morning and I must now wear long pants and real shoes - boo.   Oh well.  

Gone live

Well I've done it....made this "live" for the world to see.  Those of you who have read it up to this point have done so because I sent you the link.  My mom has asked if she can pass it along to people and I just figured what the heck.   It's not like millions of people are going to start following me or anything and I will become wildly famous and be offered a book deal and my own tv show.  However, that would be funny if it did happen - after all I wouldn't turn it down.   It does make me feel however like I need to step up my game a tad.  Perhaps take better pictures or something like that not sure to be honest.  Lets face it I do have a full time job and this is just a hobby on the side....a way to express myself   All I can hope is that if someone where to stubble across me that I would bring a smile to their face.

In other news I cooked up a storm yesterday!  So very prepared for the work week.  No pictures or recipes at this point.  I was in the moment cooking and not thinking about capturing it.  I made a veggie soup w/ homemade chicken broth much like this one.  I also made the Easy Little Bread Recipe from 101 Cookbooks (love this site!) that I have made before shown here and some pot roast in the cooker and egg muffins for G and I to have for breakfast this week.

A hui hou

Patriot Day

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It's hard to believe its been 10 years since that fateful day.   I remember it like it was yesterday however.   I was in Bellevue staying at the Hilton.    It was a busy time of year for me when I had to go to all 5 states and train everyone on the new products coming out.  We did this twice a year.   Myself and the various vendors would have a road show of sorts and travel from state to state and all of my people would come for a one day training off the floor.   This said I had people with me in Seattle from all over to do the training.   We had done the first day and all had gone great and then I woke up on the second day.......

I was used to traveling and had down a routine of sorts.   Wake up call and then roll over and turn on the tv.   When I turned on the tv that morning I couldn't believe what I saw.   It just didn't register.   It was 6 am PST or a little after maybe....that part is foggy but I do remember clear as day seeing the second plane crashing into the tower.   At this point however I had no clue what was going on and that the first tower had been hit already.  But then it all unfolded and I had no idea what to do.........

I think I did what lot of people did.  Went into auto pilot.  This was my training and I was in charge and lets face it Nordstrom doesn't shut down for much so I better get ready and go in.   Apparently nobody else knew what to do either and everyone showed up at the training.   Nordstrom at Bell Square opened as scheduled and we all gathered in the training room upstairs and tired to get some reception from the tv we had to get updates.   I had a vendor there from NY.   I had a employee who had a family member who was flying that day and we weren't sure where they were or if they were ok.   It turned out the family member was fine but that took a while to find out.   I know a lot of other people didn't get as good of news that day.  Since the airports were all closed my NY vendor was stuck and he knew that.   We ended up cancelling the training and Nordstrom even closed around 11 am that day.   I remember being one of the last people to leave the store and walking out and seeing one of the last cars pull out of the parking lot......a white Land Rover (so very Bellevue).  

Lets remember I live in Portland and I'm stuck in Bellevue.......G and I had just started dating and he couldn't  leave work to come get me.  Thankfully my parents took off from Salem and I just had to go back to the hotel and wait for them.   That was a lonely and scary 4 hours.   I don't remember much about it except for I was scared.   But they arrrived scooped me up and we heading back down the 405 to I5 and on home to Portland.   Thankful am I that I have parents that would pretty much do anything in the world for me.   And that I lived within driving distance.  My NY vendor was stuck for about 3 days.   I remember him saying that he would go to eat at restaurants and people would hear he was one of the stranded ones and they would not think of charging him for his meals.  Now that's the kind of heart warmer you like to hear.   Hotels also gave discounts during this time to people who were stranded.  

I was supposed to go to Colorado the next week.  Needless to say that didn't happen.   Nordstrom wouldn't let us fly for one week and then after that it was up to us.  In this job I was pretty much in the air every week.   But I didn't start flying again for about 3 weeks and even then I only went to Seattle.   It seemed safe to be on a smaller plane.  However our lives in airports would never be the same.   Security was tighter but the airports weren't that busy for the first couple of months after.   And at first we were all willing to jump through whatever hoops they wanted us to for security reasons.   We were scared to fly - whether we said it or not.   In a way I'm glad I had a job that made me fly again.   I remember getting in a car accident once and my dad made me drive right away after it.  I of course didn't want to but he made me so I wouldn't be freaked out about driving.   Smart man my dad.  

As Americans I think we had taken for granted how lucky we were to live in a pretty safe world.   I would hope that after that day if we had ever taken it for granted that we don't do that now.   And that every day we are thankful for our lives and the brave people around us - not just on "Patriot Day".  

We are rebuliding the towers.   I think that is silly.   My opinion only.   I would not want to work or live by or in or anywhere near them to be honest.   There are evil people in the world.   Very evil and who is to say they won't try it again.   I do however love the idea of the reflecting pools.   Water - especially moving water - is always healing. 

On a brighter note today is also my friend J's bday!  Its a big one as well.   So today I will celebrate his day as well.  Afterall he is a special person to me and one that brings love and light into my world.   Those people are hard to find.   Hauoli la hanau my friend!   May your year be filled with wonderful suprises!

In a pinch

Today is game day.....we are playing Wisconsin - at their house.   They are ranked #8 in the nation.   We couldn't even get past Sac State last week.  So far they've only scored once and its the 2nd quarter......
In other news the washing machine is fixed!   Not sure what G did but it works now.   And the nice man from Standard has fixed my dishwasher so all is good on the mechanical front here.

I've had this in the archive's waiting to find a day to post.  This is one of those dinners that I do when I'm in a pinch and don't know what to make.  It's super easy and we can get two dinners out of it which is my goal at least once during the week.

Impossibly Easy Cheeseburger Pie



Brown the ground beef and onion (I prefer red if the walla walla's aren't in season)

Toss the ground beef in a greased pie plate, top w/ the cheese, and then pour the Bisquick mixture over the top.

 Oops...

You can garnish with all kinds of things:  more cheese, tomatoes, sour cream - the possibilities are endless.



Wednesday Wisdom



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Ocean time

Finally pictures from our trip to the beach .....

This is Rex and he is the resident dog at the Agate Beach Golf Course.  Its hard for him to get around but he is about the sweetest thing ever and joined us for breakfast.  G had a great round - can't remeber what he shot now and then we headed to Newport to look around.

This is where NOAA will be in Newport.   Looks like the have finally started to break ground.  So very exciting for this small community as it will bring many jobs to the area.

Went up to Salishan that night to hear Beth Willis sing and enjoy a bite to eat.

Random shots from around Mermaid cottage

Also, took a long walk on the beach and around the neighborhood on Saturday afternoon.  It amazes me how much the beach changes each time I go down there.

Just a great weekend and fun time to recharge with G......hope to go back soon

The time is now



via me from last year

Today is the day! Lets hope we are ready.  I know I am.   We play Sac State at 1 pm.   T&R aren't going with us as its going to be 95 degrees and to be honest there is a small part of me that would like to stay home as well.   But I know once I get there I will be glad I went.   Not sure what the year will hold for us.  All I ask is that we go to a bowl game this year.  G say's its a "building year"......sigh......