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PANDEMIC 2020

I guess I needed some epic event like COVID-19 to kick me in the butt and break my Writer’s Block! I haven’t written a post in nearly a year!

I made two trips this past year and for some reason, developed Writer’s Block. The only thing I’ve been doing on my site lately is visit it several times a day to delete the spam that keeps invading it.

Initially, when the news broke about COVID-19, I…

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This is one great little snack for folks who subscribe to a Keto way of eating. I first ran across the recipe on line and made some modifications to it to suit me.

It has zip; it has zing!

It also has that ‘breakfast‘ feel to it and makes a great quick breakfast snack but is also great for sharing at Potlucks and picnics!

It’s an incredibly FUN BITE!

Here is what you need to make them:

1 dozen large eggs

Tajin or Kosher salt (I use Tajin because of its lime and Chile flavors included)

1/3 cup mayonnaise

1 1/2 teaspoons of yellow mustard

1 1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon mustard powder

2 generous teaspoons of Worcestershire sauce

1/3 teaspoons of ground ginger

A couple dashes of Herbs De Provence

Ground pepper to taste

Scant 1/2 teaspoon of Red Pepper

1 1/2 teaspoons of apple cider vinegar

1/4 cup of Mexican Crema

Top Of The Egg Garnish:

4-5 strips of bacon cooked but still flexible

3-4 scallions, sliced

Making It:

Cook the eggs: …in a medium pot, covering the eggs with COLD WATER to about an inch or so above the eggs. Bring the water to a rolling boil over medium heat and then turn the the stove off. Let the eggs sit in the hot water for about ten minutes and then gently pour off the water. Cool the eggs by running COLD WATER over them for a bit. This will stop the cooking process.

Peel the eggs carefully, rinsing off any bits of egg shell.

Halve the eggs lengthwise.

Arrange the halves on a platter.

Lightly sprinkle some of the red pepper over the egg white halves.

Making the filling: Spoon the egg yolks from the halved eggs into a bowl and smash them with a fork. Add in salt or Tajin, mayonnaise, mustards, mustard powder, Worcestshire sauce, ginger, vinegar, Herbs De Provence and pepper. Mix well.

Whip It Good! In a separate bowl, whip the Mexican Crema until you get soft peaks. With a rubber or silicon spatula, fold  the Crema into the egg yolk mixture.

Fill a pastry bag with the egg yolk mixture and using a fluted tip, fill each egg with the egg yolk mixture.

Cook the bacon until it is cooked but still flexible. Cut or break the bacon into little half inch squares.

The Finish: Put two of the bacon square bits on each egg half. Top with the sliced scallions and lightly sprinkle red pepper over the top of the eggs.

Enjoy!

Notes: I’ve seen recipes where heavy whipping cream is used. I did try that but prefer the bolder taste of Mexican Crema for this recipe. Also, I always use a glass bowl to whip the cream in and it is put into the freezer for about a half hour or so before I need to use it. This lets the cream whip up quicker.

Deviled Bacon And Eggs This is one great little snack for folks who subscribe to a Keto way of eating. I first ran across the recipe on line and made some modifications to it to suit me.

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Paella is a delightful Saffron infused dish that originates from Spain. There, entire families will participate to make this dish, typically over an open flame. It is basically a rice dish with different meats like sausage, chicken and/or seafood. I’m particular to having seafood in my Paella.

It is nice to have an actual Paella pan. I have a 14 inch one, but a large skillet will work, too.

Seasoned Paella pan

I make it once in a great while because it does involve some task intensiveness to make solo. I like to make this dish for special occasions like birthdays  or a an a-typical dish for holidays. Recently, I made it for Easter in lieu of the traditional Ham or Turkey dinner.

The first thing I do is make an aioli and cut up some lemon wedges to have ready for serving.

Aioli

Lemon wedges

To make the aioli, you will need a few cloves of garlic, chopped or minced, a pinch or two of salt, some olive oil and lemon juice for flavor.

Put the chopped garlic and salt in a mini food processor and pulse until the mixture is very fine. Then, drizzle just enough olive oil in to make a thick mayonnaise-like consistency. Mix in lemon juice to taste. Refrigerate until serving time.

This mixture has crab, shrimp and calamari.

Penn Cove Mussels

I found some snow crab legs and added them in.

Aborio rice and olive oil

Seasonings

For the Paella, you will need the following:

1/3 lb shrimp, peeled (reserve the shells for making the broth)

1/3 lb scallops and/or calamari

8-10 mussels

8-10 small clams

A pinch of Saffron threads

6 cloves of garlic, minced

1/2 onion, finely grated

1 tomato, finely grated

1/4 cup Olive oil

Salt to taste

1 1/2 cups of medium grain rice

Preparing the seafood: Peel the shrimp and save those shells. If the calamari needs skinning, do that. Scrub the beards off the mussels, if you need to. Pat dry all of the seafood and set aside.

Toasting the Saffron: In a small, heated skillet, toast the Saffron threads gently, crushing them with the back of a wooden spoon to break them up some.

Making the broth: In a medium saucepan, bring to a boil 3 1/2 cups of salted water and the shrimp shells. Simmer the broth for a few minutes and then strain out the shells. Return the sauce pan to the stove and continue to simmer, adding in the toasted, crushed Saffron threads. Taste the broth and add more salt if needed. The broth should be well seasoned.

Saffron broth

Saute’ the seafood: In the Paella pan or large skillet, heat the olive oil on high and saute’ the shrimp, scallops and calamari until cooked through (about 2 minutes). Then, set them aside for later.

Make the Sofrito: Pour out all of the olive oil except about 1 to 2 tablespoons. Heat the oil on medium heat and saute’ the garlic and grated onion until the onion softens (about 5 minutes). Then, add in the grated tomato and cook the mixture until a dark, thick puree’ develops (about 10 to 15 minutes). This is called the Sofrito.

Sofrito in the making….

Cooking the rice: First, bring the broth back to a simmer. Once the sofrito is created, add in the rice, sauteing it for about a minute until it loses its opaqueness.  Then, increase heat to medium high. Pour in 3 cups of the broth (reserve 1/2 cup) and stir or shake the pan/skillet to distribute the rice evenly.

Add in the mussels and clams: After the pan of rice comes to a boil, arrange the mussels and clams in the rice mixture, submerging them as much as possible below the level of the liquid. From this point on, don’t stir or shake the pan/skillet.

Cooking the Paella: On medium high heat, rotate and move the pan over one or two burners to distribute the heat evenly. After about 8 to 10 minutes, the rice will begin to appear above the liquid. Reduce the heat to medium low and continue to simmer the mixture, rotating the pan periodically until all of the liquid has been absorbed (about 10 minutes).

Check for Al Dente’: Taste a grain or two of rice. It should be al dente’. If it is not done but all of the liquid is gone, sprinkle in more of the reserved broth and cook a few minutes more, rotating the pan. Add in the rest of the seafood (shrimp, scallops and calamari).

Creating the Soccarat: Cover the pan or skillet with aluminum foil and cook for 2 minutes. Increase the heat to medium high and continue to rotate the Paella for another 2 minutes. At this point, you may hear some crackling. That is the soccarat forming. If it smells like its burning, immediately remove the pan/skillet from the heat.

Rest the Paella: Let the Paella rest for about 5 minutes. This is a good time to get the aioli and lemon wedges from the refrigerator and set the table.

YUM!

Serve on individual plates OR let your guests eat directly from the pan or skillet, working from the perimeter of the Paella, toward the center. Don’t forget the aioli or lemon wedges!

    Making Paella! Paella is a delightful Saffron infused dish that originates from Spain. There, entire families will participate to make this dish, typically over an open flame.

[whidbeyislandgirl]

The woodpeckers are everywhere this year it seems!

I see the Flickers – and we have at least two varieties of these; the Yellow and Red Shafted – all the time….

Yellow Shafted Flicker

Red Shafted Flicker

…and I’ve heard them tapping out their Morse Code D’ Amore’ on the rain gutters, metal flashing and vents in hopes of attracting a mate.

“Brrrrrrrrrt! Brrrrrrrtt!”

If it’s metal, it’s noisiest!

I’ve seen Downy and Hairy woodpeckers at my suet block….

Downy Woodpecker

Hairy Woodpecker

Just a few weeks ago, I spotted my first Pileated Woodpecker feeding on ants at the old wood stump in my Reflection Garden…

However, that woodpecker seemed to have taken a liking to me and my house! I was surprised to find him perched on the north railing of my house and even more amazed at how close I could get to him! I thought it was kind of special because they seemed to be quite skittish and hard to see, but this one spoke, danced, cocked his head and preened right there on the railing.

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The Pileated Woodpecker is the species of woodpecker that Woody Woodpecker was created from. Clearly, they are very intelligent birds. This bird’s behavior certainly lent credence to their intelligence

Then, he returned to the railing the next day! This time, he began inflicting damage to my railing, pecking big chunks out of it. We had to shoo him away but he kept coming back and pecking more chunks out of my railing while he admired himself in the window glass.

Originally, I thought about calling him “Woody” after the cartoon bird but when he started doing damage to my home, to my neighbor’s suggestion, I started calling him “Chainsaw.” After all, he can make quick work, carving chunks of wood off a railing!

I had to cover the railing with aluminum foil to discourage him.

We put it on so it would flap in the breeze. They don’t like shiny movement.

That foil will remain for a week or so more to ensure he does not return.

It turns out that they are very territorial and this is their way of attracting a mate, by ‘drumming and drilling.’ They can come back and inflict damage to homes year after year. Even though I find the Pileated Woodpecker to be a stunningly handsome bird, I was disappointed that they could be so damaging to homes.

A few days after we put the aluminum foil covering on the railing, we saw him at our back sliding glass door as if begging to be let in. Or, was he just admiring himself in the glass again. My husband shooed him off and we haven’t seen him.

So, we’ll never really know….

It’s A Woodpecker Kind Of Spring! The woodpeckers are everywhere this year it seems! I see the Flickers - and we have at least two varieties of these; the Yellow and Red Shafted - all the time....

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Pure heavenly decadence!

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I saw this recipe in the May 2018 Sunset magazine that I receive every month, thanks to my mom.

Avocados and dark chocolate have been a trendy super food for some time and I love both of them, but to pare them this way? I had to check it out!

As it turns out, they pair beautifully and compliment it all with a sprinkling of Pistachios throughout the pie? That was an add-on from me and it is DELICIOUS and so DECADENT!

I had another change to the original recipe. Where the recipe in the magazine includes an entire procedure for making the chocolate wafer crust, I ‘cheat’ by just buying an Oreo crust from the store.

It keeps things a little more simpler and I can focus on the filling.

It is fairly easy to make! Give it a try!

Ingredients:

1 Oreo Cookie crust

1/2 cup roasted pistachios

2 medium ripe avocados

8 ounces of cream cheese, at room temperature

4 tablespoons of powdered sugar

A pinch of salt

2 teaspoons of lemon juice

2 teaspoons of vanilla extract

8 ounces of dark chocolate (I use 2 Nestles Amak Dark Chocolate with pistachios bars), rough chopped

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

Assemble it:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

In a food processor, pulse the pistachios until coarsely ground.

Sprinkle about a half of the pistachios around the bottom of the crust.

Scoop the avocado into a clean food processor.

Add in the cream cheese, powdered sugar, lemon juice, vanilla and salt. Whirl until smooth….

Carefully spread the filling into the pie crust. Chill in the refrigerator while making the ganache.

Heat the heavy whipping cream in a small sauce pan, on low until little bubbles form at the sides of the pan.

Add in the dark chocolate chunks, continually stirring until all is just melted and smooth.

Let cool until you are just able to touch it.

Carefully pour the ganache, pouring from the center of the pie and spread it out to the sides of the tart, covering the entire top of the tart.

Sprinkle the remaining pistachios over the top.

Chill for at least two hours.

Typically, when a recipe calls for heavy whipping cream in that amount listed above, there will be plenty left over.

I whip up a fresh batch of whipped cream with it to serve over the top!

It’s pure culinary heaven!

Dark Chocolate Avocado Tart with Pistachios I saw this recipe in the May 2018 Sunset magazine that I receive every month, thanks to my mom.

[whidbeyislandgirl]

It was August of 2006 and I was home sick from work the day the truck came into my life. My husband had gone to take his ’97 Toyota truck into the dealership to have it serviced. I was sleeping when the phone rang. It was my husband calling from the dealership to tell me that someone would be calling from there and to help work a ‘deal.’

A deal??? What deal??!!

It turns out, he was negotiating the purchase of a new truck. Well, not completely new. It was a couple years old, with great mileage and in beautiful shape. Well, I wasn’t much help with negotiating a good deal but, sure enough, he came home with this ‘new’ truck.

I was dubious about it at first. I really didn’t think we needed a new truck but my husband had fallen in love with this one and I could see why! It was a 2004 Toyota Tacoma, all white and so handsomely proud looking in stature!

It had a unique sound to it when it pulled up in the driveway and in no time, the truck also grew on me! So stylish! So capable looking! We named it the White Steed.

Well, the White Steed has been my savior during snow storms when I couldn’t get around in my own car! We traveled to Oregon, Idaho, Eastern Washington and made several trips to the Olympic Peninsula with it.

This truck fast became our fishing buddy!

Hauled many a salmon catch!

Crabbing off the satellite dock!

Dungeness crab!

Waiting for us at Erie Lake.

White Steed has taken us to so many beaches to fish!

Pole reflection…

White Steed seen from the boat….

  The Big One that didn’t get away!

  We picked many black berries using this truck. We pulled our boat with the truck to fish and crab. The White Steed had become an integral member of our family. We took great care of this truck and proudly rode in it.

The 2004 Tacoma is still a coveted year for that model. They tend to hold their value more than any other year or model of Toyota trucks.

Then, on February 10th 2019, during a break in the wave of crazy snow storms we’d been having, we drove our truck into town for a couple things and to get out. Snowmaggedon had left us shut in for a few days and we had cabin fever.

We slowly navigated into town safely without any problem. We’d driven the White Steed in snow many times! It always got to places where other vehicles couldn’t, like up the steep hill to get to our home.

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On the way back, I was shooting pictures of the snowy roads and my husband was at the wheel, driving maybe 25 mile per hour, when suddenly it was as if an invisible hand lifted the back end of the truck, sending it sliding sideways. Helplessly, we both braced for impact and I shouted, “No! No! No!” over and over.

The truck came to an abrupt, crashing stop up against a huge basalt boulder someone had placed at the entrance to their driveway. The truck was sideways, up against this rock on the passenger side door. On impact, my camera was knocked out of my hand and landed on the backseat floor behind the driver seat. It lay growling, trying to retract its lens but unable to.

It was me, the caved in door and that boulder. We’d hit hard!!!

I looked down at my right arm and saw two huge monkey bumps rise up from my flesh. I flexed my arm and hand. Thankfully, nothing was broken but my forearm was badly bruised and my camera broken.

Our truck was now broken, too.

My husband immediately started the White Steed with no problem and we drove home, grateful nobody else had been involved in this accident.

Just us.

We hit the ONLY un-sanded patch of ice on that road that would spin us off into the ONLY boulder on that road. There were plenty of fields and ditches, but did we slide into any of them?

No.

Just that ONE boulder.

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Well, we immediately filed a claim with our insurance carrier and when the roads had adequately cleared, we took our White Steed to the local collision experts to have an estimate of repair done.

The bottom line is that the insurance company deemed White Steed a total loss.

The collision experts told us that the cab would need to be completely replaced which would mean there would be an issue with mismatched VINs.

So, with deep sadness, my husband surrendered the White Steed.

It was gut wrenching to see the tow truck haul White Steed away.

This post memorializes the deep gratitude we have for such a handsome and great truck! I’ve never felt so deeply saddened by the loss of a vehicle until now. I did not realize HOW MUCH that truck meant to me! It’s almost like losing a family member! Hence, this post.

To many folks, my emotions about this may seem silly. Even to me, it is, but, surprisingly, this is what I feel!

I’ll get over it, for sure, and we’ll buy another vehicle that can tow our boat, take us fishing and crabbing and go on many adventures with.

However, I’ll still miss the White Steed…..

Good Bye My Friend It was August of 2006 and I was home sick from work the day the truck came into my life.

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A little late but that's okay....

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A Wild Six Months

A Wild Six Months

“Blues, despair and agony on me! Deep dark depression; excessive misery! If it weren’t for hard luck, I’d have no luck at all! Blues, despair and agony on me!”

I heard that in the old Heehaw episodes when I was young….

It would seem that way with the crazy run of luck or lack, thereof, I’ve had. In May, I traveled to San Diego to visit with family and came back with a nasty bit of ‘travel crud’.…

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Good Bye Seahawks Season 2018; Hello 2019

Good Bye Seahawks Season 2018; Hello 2019

So, now we mourn yet another brief ending to the Seattle Seahawks football season. I consider myself a rookie fan since I officially became a fan when Russell Wilson signed on with the team in 2013. I’ve always liked the team but never officially committed as a fan to any one team until that time. I may be a rookie 12 but I am a very loyal one at that.

Every game I BELIEVE we will win regardless…

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It's what's been happening!

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Metamorphosis: 2017 Into 2018

Metamorphosis: 2017 Into 2018

Wow! It’s been a crazy year or three! After a highly negative year in 2016 with the elections and politics just plain getting ugly, that when 2017 began, I was hoping for a more positive turn in things. As for society, I hold little hope. The media continues its rant against the president which proves to me that journalism is officially dead. What we see on television, on social media sites and…

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Smoothies have really become quite the nutritional thing, these days!

My daughter makes them and has for several years now. My sister turned me on to them a couple years ago. I know of more folks my age that enjoy them on a daily basis. Many just buy them already prepared and bottled from the stores. Others, like my daughter, one of my sisters and I, make them.

It’s wonderful way to use those ‘tired’ looking veggies and fruits, instead of throwing them out!

I promised my little sister that I would write a post about it, and, Bonnie, I did not forget. My smoothies have been under development and testing all this time.

By George! I think I’ve got the recipe down!

The recipe I am about to share here is the backbone of my smoothie making but depending on the time of year and what is fresh and in season, I do add to this list or take away from it.

For instance, it is March.

The stinging nettle are just now coming up as tender shoots. Stinging nettle is great for detoxification of your body, improving metabolism and circulation, helps with periods and menopause, is a great aid for the skin and overall enhances energy levels.

It has to be carefully harvested with gloved hands, rinsed and blanched before being introduced into the smoothie. It’s a green ingredient that gives a nice, subtle peppery depth of flavor.

I’ll be adding this ingredient in my next few gallons of smoothies while they are still tender shoots.

When peaches are in season, they go in. When the herbs in my gardens are up and growing, I’ll harvest chives, chive blossoms, oregano and parsley to add into the mix

Everything that goes into the smoothies is put in there for a reason. Fresh herbs, greens and micro greens are not only good in developing a nice flavor profile but they make your body healthy too!

The green tea goes in for its healthful benefits. Cinnamon lowers blood pressure, ginger is great for digestion, and nutmeg is the ‘happy’ spice. Cloves are great for your lungs. The turmeric not only enhances the color of the smoothie but is also great for reducing inflammation in the body.

Beets are amazing for your liver, boosting your brain and blood AND providing a boost of energy! They also make the smoothie a nice burgundy color. Cherries are wonderful for arthritis. Apples are just plain healthy magic. That old adage about keeping the doctor away….Well? With oranges, I vary the kind that I use but I prefer blood oranges. Bananas are at their assimilation best when they are very ripe and they provide a natural sweetener.

When I make my smoothies, I make sure I have very ripe bananas available, gather the other ingredients, set aside a few hours and make it. I make about 2.5 to 2.75 gallons of it at a time which means that I will make smoothies about every ten or so days. It’s a huge process and my husband also helps. While most folks have a Ninja blender or some new smoothie new making machine, I still use my 40+ year-old Osterizer blender. It still works!

While my Hubby sets the blender up and does an operational check on it, I prepare the ‘brew.’ This involves assembling the glass bottles and other tools needed to make it with. I cook the beets and its greens, peel and fine chop the other fruit, and prepare the strong brew of green and Bengal Spice teas. All of the ingredients are then combined in a huge plastic bowl as a ‘soup’. Good filtered water is in standby for thinning the concoction as it blends and purees in the blender.

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The list of ingredients I use in my smoothies are: – 1 12-ounce bag each of – black berries, cherries, blue berries, raspberries (if available), pineapple and mango. – 3 very ripe bananas (If they get too ripe before you go to use them, freeze them. I keep a stash of bagged, ripe bananas in the freezer at all times) – 3 apples – 2 oranges – 4 kiwis – 1 bag baby kale, spinach and chard mix – 4 beets and their tops (cooked tender crisp and bright; the water that was used to cook the beets and tops is also incorporated into the smoothie. There be vitamins in that!) – 1 pepper each – Serrano, Jalapeno, Anaheim; seeds and all go in. (I will use Hatch and Fresno peppers in this when they are available. 3 peppers total) – 1 bunch of cilantro – Fresh basil (I buy it but if you grow it; even better!) – 1 pack of micro greens – 1 cucumber, ends removed but skin is retained – 1 bag of match stick carrots – 1 bottle of filtered water for thinning – 4 cups of strong tea made from Green and Bengal Spice tea bags (6 bags of green; 2 bags of Bengal Spice) –  Dry spices: cinnamon, ginger, clove, nutmeg, turmeric – Molasses

Anaheim peppers!

It’s all apples and oranges to me!

Cherrie, Baby!

Cilantro, kale, parsley….

Cucumber

Micro green

Spices, molasses, honey if you want.

Home grown herbs!

Serrano, Jalapeno, Anaheim peppers!

This makes it easier….

Carrots all ready!

Oranges

When in season, there are peaches!

Best if they are very ripe!

I do not add any extra sugar into my smoothie.  The molasses I put in my smoothies does mildly sweeten it but I add it mainly for its rich iron content. If you like your smoothie extra sweet, use raw honey. Try to stay away from processed sugar.

What I end up with, after all is prepared, mixed and bottled is a beautiful garnet colored concoction of complex flavors that has a wonderful sweet heat to it.

Before….Smoothie Soup!

After…The finished product.

A complex sweet heat mix!

What a delicious way to get your veggies, fruit, vitamins and minerals. I drink a twelve ounce glass of this with my supplements and pills every morning. I have never felt better!

CHEERS!!! Here’s to your health!

It’s About SMOOTHIE!!! Smoothies have really become quite the nutritional thing, these days! My daughter makes them and has for several years now.

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It may Autumn, but I had to share this wonderful summer salad anyway!