An Eastern Sierras Weekend

Site 129 - East Fork Campground

Since I hadn't used any optional leave yet this year, I took Friday off and turned Memorial Day weekend into a 4-day weekend. We left Thursday afternoon for a 6-hour drive up the 395 to East Fork Campground on Rock Creek, about 25 miles northwest of Bishop. In the past, we'd always driven past Rock Creek on our way to June Lake or beyond, but had heard about how nice this canyon was and decided to give it a try. Our campsite was in a great location - no neighbors to one side since there was a loop road there, and it faced the creek. As we were trying to get our trailer set up in what was supposed to be a long site, we were informed that the website was wrong and we were really in a short site. Duh. But since we were already unhooked and the jacks were down, we decided to stay. It was a good decision. We had a great view, quiet neighbors, and a very short (20 yards) walk to the creek.





"I'm going to go try something out - I'll be back in a minute." (These "minutes" always turned into half hours or more, usually because he loses track of time when there's a rod in his hand.)









Nice little native brown trout. He'd tried for two days to get one. While he was on the lake, he must have caught several dozen rainbows, but he said this little brown was worth more than all those rainbows, since it was caught in the creek.

Rock Creek Lake - such wonderful scenery.









Don spent two long days out on the lake in his float tube. He's still taking the vicodin for the arthritis in his shoulder, but insists it was worth it!














I like to take a photo out the back window of our trailer everywhere we camp. This one looks up the canyon to the south.


















Campground Review - East Fork Campground, Rock Creek Canyon, Inyo National Forest, California

Address: 4 miles south of Highway 395 on Upper Rock Creek road
Phone: NA
Website: NA
To make a reservation: www.recreation.gov
Rates: $18.00/night


General Information:
# Sites: 133 (22 are for tents only)
# Sites with hookups: 0
Dump station: There is a dump station approximately 1/4 mile from Highway 395 on the left (east) side of Upper Rock Creek Road. It is free if you have a campsite at any of the Rock Creek campgrounds; otherwise, they request a $5 donation.
Size of sites: These vary from tent sites only to short, medium, and long. We saw several very large motorhomes, and the website says that some of the sites are 42 feet long. Ours was supposed to be a long site, according to the website, but it was almost too small for our 28' trailer and truck. After we were unhooked and set up, we were told that the website was wrong, and our site was really meant for very short (truck camper/class B) RVs. But we were already in, so we stayed put.
Office hours: At least 5 sets of camp hosts; available all hours.
Interstate access: No.
On site staff? Friendly, helpful? : We met 3 different camp hosts; all were quite personable. One of them makes little wood and bead hanging souvenirs which she gives away (unless you want to donate a little to help her defray the costs - I did.)

Noise info: Upper Rock Creek Road is a busy road on a holiday weekend, but the sound of the cars above really wasn't that bothersome. The creek meanders here, so we didn't have the sound of a rushing, fast creek that we like.

Amenities
Restrooms: Yes, with clean flush toilets, sinks with running water, and heaters to keep them warm at night.
Showers: No
Pool: No
WiFi: No
Cell phone reception (I have Cingular): No reception in this canyon.
Laundry: No
Store: Closest stores are up at Rock Creek Lodge and Rock Creek Lakes Resort. I visited the latter, which has a small cafe, books, maps, shirts, hats, souvenirs, camping supplies, fishing supplies, ice, and snacks.

Notes for future reservations: Even on a holiday weekend, the campground was not full, nor were any of the other Rock Creek campgrounds, except for the one at the lake. The one at the lake, however, is more like a parking lot, with lots of car traffic. If you come on Monday-Thursday, you can get your choice of spots.

Random Photo #2

February 2005 - Horsetail Falls in the Columbia River Gorge, Oregon

Pop! Go the Tomatoes!

I was enjoying a new (to me) blog today, called The Wednesday Chef. Luisa states that her blog "was started in the summer of 2005 to find out if the newspaper recipes really work, which food writer has the best ideas, if the newspapers' feud for "Best Food Section in America" is just in Luisa's imagination, and which paper has a better test kitchen." I've found four or five recipes so far to try, and one of them made it to my dinner table tonight. I was drawn to the picture she posted of this dish, since I love grape tomatoes, and saw that this would be a quick and easy dish to make. The original recipe, from Barbara Fairchild of Bon Appetít, called for cherry tomatoes and bone-in breasts. I used grape tomatoes and boneless breasts. I cooked this in my convection/toaster oven, and was amused by the sound of popping tomatoes as it cooked. I'm glad they didn't pop all over the inside of the oven! The best part about this dish was the intense flavor of the roasted tomatoes with every bite of chicken.

Spicy Roasted Chicken with Grape Tomatoes
from Bon Appetít
12 ounces whole grape tomatoes
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 cloves, garlic pressed
¾ teaspoons dried crushed red pepper
1 teaspoon dried marjoram
2 bone-in chicken breasts (I used boneless)
Salt and freshly ground pepper


1. Heat the oven to 450 degrees. Toss the tomatoes, olive oil, garlic, crushed red pepper and marjoram in a large bowl to combine.
2. Place the chicken on a rimmed baking sheet. Pour the tomato mixture over the chicken, arranging the tomatoes in a single layer on the sheet around the chicken. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Roast until the chicken is cooked through and the tomatoes are blistered, about 35 minutes.
3. Transfer the chicken to plates. Spoon the tomatoes and juices over the chicken and serve.

Why Should I Follow Directions?

Because THIS happens:Let me explain what it is you're looking at. That's a turkey burger that disintegrated upon being turned while it was cooking on the grill. All of the burger is now underneath the grill instead of on top of it.

The directions for this recipe said to use a grill pan. I thought it would taste better on the grill. I mean, anything tastes better on the grill. How was I to know it would fall apart like that? We're very glad we made four of them, and were able to enjoy the other three once we brought them inside and cooked them in a skillet.

Barbecue Turkey Burgers
from Cooking Light

¼ cup chopped onion
¼ cup barbecue sauce, divided
2 tablespoons dry breadcrumbs
2 teaspoons prepared mustard
¾ teaspoon chili powder
½ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon salt
1 lb. ground turkey
Cooking spray
4 large leaf lettuce leaves
4 (¼-inch-thick) slices tomato
4 (1 1/2-ounce) hamburger buns
Combine the onion, 2 tablespoons barbecue sauce, breadcrumbs, and the next 5 ingredients (breadcrumbs through turkey) in a medium bowl. Divide turkey mixture into 4 equal portions, shaping each into a 1 1/2 inch-thick patty. Heat a grill pan coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Place patties in pan; cook 7 minutes on each side or until done. Place 1 lettuce leaf, 1 tomato slice, and 1 patty on the bottom half of each bun. Spread each patty with 1 1/2 teaspoons barbecue sauce. Cover with top halves of buns.

I made one minor change at the end on my burger: I used some of yesterday's chipotle mayonnaise. Don had the barbecue sauce. We both think this recipe is wonderful. I tasted some of the meat before I had it with the chipotle mayonnaise, and I think these seasonings would make for a great meat loaf.

This is my entry for Paul and Freya's event, the Big Burger Ballyhoo 2007. I will probably get disqualified, though, since the main requirement was that "All submissions must be able to be cooked on a barbecue," and this definitely couldn't! But it's a burger, and I started to cook it on the grill, until it fell apart.





On the side, I made some stovetop macaroni and cheese. I've been looking for a long time for a recipe that didn't use flour. It always seemed that I could taste the flour, when I was hoping for creamy. This recipe originally called for all shredded cheddar, but I'm a Texas born and bred Velveeta fan, so I used 1/2 cup cheddar and 1 cup Velveeta. It came out tasting 10 times better than that stuff in the blue box.

Stovetop Macaroni and Cheese
1 1/2 cups uncooked macaroni (I used small shells)
1 egg
4 oz. evaporated milk (don't use fresh)
1/2 tsp. dry mustard dissolved in 1/2 tsp. water
dash Tabasco sauce
1/4 tsp. pepper
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup cubed Velveeta

Boil 2 quarts of water; add macaroni and cook until tender but still firm. Drain. In a separate bowl, mix the egg, half of the evaporated milk, the Tabasco sauce, and pepper. Return pasta to cooking pot, turn on low heat and stir in butter until melted. Stir in egg mixture and the cheddar. Cook over low heat, gradually stirring in Velveeta and milk until all is hot and creamy.

I'm in Love with Chipotle Mayo!

Okay, so I've lived under a rock all these years. I've seen chipotle mayonnaise at the store, made by Kraft, I think, but never tried it. Never thought it would be something I liked. Until now. I tried some at lunch during our fact-finding hearing last week, and decided I really, really like it. So I made some here at home. Pretty simple - all I did was take one chipotle (I keep them individually frozen once I open a can) and diced it up, and mixed it with a cup of mayonnaise. The first thing I made with it was this bagel. I took an asiago cheese bagel, toasted it, spread it with chipotle mayonnaise, then added some ham and swiss cheese. Then I ran it under the broiler to melt the cheese. Yum! My taste buds still want more. Don says I need to slow down and not eat it every day, or else I'll get tired of it. But what else can I do with it? Does anybody use it in cooking?

After my spicy lunch, I decided to make some dessert. I found this recipe on CookingLight.com, and adapted it to make it with even fewer carbs. (What's prune butter? The old recipe called for prune butter - which I figured out must be a fat replacement. So I used applesauce). One thing I would change when I make these again is to NOT use paper cups - the chocolate filling stuck so hard to the paper cups that they could not be separated. We ended up throwing away half of the cupcake since it stuck to the paper. So next time, I'll just spray the tins with nonstick spray.

Black-Bottom Cheesecake Cups
adapted from Cooking Light

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
¾ cup Splenda Granular
⅓ cup unsweetened cocoa
1 tablespoon instant espresso granules
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup water
3.9-4 oz. container unsweetened applesauce
1 tablespoon white vinegar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 package (8-ounce) nonfat cream cheese, softened
½ cup sifted powdered sugar
1 egg
Vegetable cooking spray
½ cup semisweet chocolate morsels
¼ cup chopped almonds

Preheat oven to 350˚. Combine first 6 ingredients in a large bowl. Combine water, prune butter, vinegar, and vanilla; stir well. Add to dry ingredients, stirring with a wire whisk until blended; set chocolate batter aside.
Beat cream cheese in a bowl at medium speed of a mixer until smooth. Add powdered sugar and egg, and beat until well-blended; set cream cheese mixture aside.

Coat 18 muffin cups with nonstick cooking spray. Divide chocolate batter evenly among cups; spoon cream cheese mixture evenly on top of chocolate batter in each cup. Sprinkle chocolate morsels and almonds over cream cheese mixture. Bake at 350° for 25 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Let cool in pans 5 minutes on a wire rack; remove from pans, and let cool completely on wire rack.

Sweet Cabbage Salad

I spent some time this afternoon playing catch-up with my recipes - I use MacGourmet to keep them on my computer, and had selected a lot of recipes from several months' worth of Cooking Light to try. We were going to have steak and corn on the cob on the grill for dinner, and I wanted to use up a half head of cabbage. This one looked easy and tasty. Don really liked it - he said he likes it even better than cole slaw. The original recipe from the magazine used 1/4 cup of sugar, but I substituted Splenda granular and it was fine. I've noticed that when I'm mixing Splenda granular with vinegar it really tastes like sugar.

Sweet Cabbage Salad
adapted from Cooking Light
3 cups shredded cabbage (about 1/2 head)
½ cup shredded carrot (about 1 medium)
½ cup chopped green bell pepper (about 1 medium)
¼ cup chopped red onion
3 tablespoons Splenda granular
¼ cup white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon olive oil
½ teaspoon dry mustard
¼ teaspoon celery seeds
¼ teaspoon salt
Combine first 4 ingredients in a large bowl; toss well. Combine Splenda and remaining ingredients in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Pour vinegar mixture over cabbage mixture, tossing gently to combine. Cover; chill 1 hour. Serves 4

Pasta Salad, Chicken and Corn Torte

Yesterday, I was having a beef craving, so I asked Don to cook hamburgers on the grill. Why are burgers so much better on the grill? The beef was lean, and the cheese was a low-fat cheddar - and the flavor was divine. To go with them, I made a pasta salad using some whole-wheat penne. I had some Dreamfields, too, but decided to work on using up the whole wheat first before I make the switch completely. This pasta salad ended up better than my previous ones, since I used a mixture of mayonnaise and Miracle Whip instead of straight Miracle Whip, put in a few more pickles than I normally did, and added shredded carrots.

Pasta Salad


8 oz. pasta, cooked and cooled (macaroni, penne, shells)
2 Tbsp. chopped onion
1/4 cup diced sweet pickle (I used 6 baby gherkins)
14 cup shredded carrot (I used 6 baby carrots)
3 hard-boiled eggs, diced
3 Tbsp. mayonnaise
3 Tbsp. Miracle Whip
salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients; chill until ready to serve.


Tonight I had a little time to make dinner, so I threw together this miniature casserole. I call it a torte, because it's similar to a dish I had at El Torito Grill a couple of weeks ago - layers of tortilla with chicken, corn, cheese, and sauce. The picture doesn't do it justice - it was really good!

Chicken and Corn Torte

1/4 cup chopped onion
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 15-oz. can corn, drained
1 10-oz can Old El Paso Medium red enchilada sauce
2 small boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked and diced
5 corn tortillas
1 cup grated cheddar cheese, divided

Preheat oven to 375˚. In a small skillet, sauté the onion in the olive oil until onion is golden. Add drained corn and stir until any liquid left over in the corn is gone. Spray a 1 1/2-quart casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray. Put a tablespoon of the enchilada sauce in the dish, and then a corn tortilla. Spread half of the onion-corn mixture and top with 1/6 of the shredded cheese. Spoon over a few tablespoons of enchilada sauce. Put another tortilla in the pan, and top that with half of the chicken, another 1/6 of the cheese, and some more sauce. Repeat layers. Top all with the 5th tortilla, the last couple tablespoons of sauce, and the last of the cheese. Cover and bake 30-35 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Serve with some sour cream and tortilla chips on the side.

Took the Fence Down

When we first moved into our house up here in the mountains, it had a fenced-in back yard. I would estimate about half of the homes here have fences and half don't. I like the don'ts. But we had a dog, so we needed the fence. Now this fence was in pretty bad shape all along the south side. Whoever built the house next to us, which is uphill from us, just dug out the hole for the foundation, and pushed all the dirt and rocks up against our fence. So through the years, the fence gradually leaned further and further into our yard until it was almost on its side. Last summer, a strong windstorm took down the back fence, which Don replaced because it's up against a small creekbed and we wanted to keep a little privacy.

Don decided he'd take the side fence down, and was getting ready to go to Home Depot to get more posts and wood to replace it. We sat and looked at the yard without it for a while, and thought, "you know, it looks much better without a fence there." In the front of the house, he'd built 3 terraces into the yard and had lined them with creek rocks, and with the fence gone, you could see 3 more terraces. The openness looks good, and when we use the barbecue grill, we don't feel closed in. He spent the fence money on plants, burlap netting for erosion protection, a new hose, and a few other whatnots that men find to spend money on at Home Depot.

Southwestern Cards

Nothing difficult here - rooster stamped with black ink on a white scrap, which is mounted on a black leather-textured scrap, which is mounted on snakeskin-textured paper. All is then mounted on a white card.



The circular southwest design is black-embossed on a piece of torn suede-paper. The gold textured paper has a black raffia bow, a string of beads, and two feathers glued to it. The striped feather came from a fly fishing store - fishermen use them to make flies.



The three circles are southwestern images black-embossed on copper paper. They are mounted on pop dots. The black strip was swiped with top boss, then sprinkled with clear embossing powder and heated. The little swirls are stamped with copper ink at random on a green card.



For this one, I first applied pastel pigment inks to a piece of white cardstock, sprinkled with clear embossing powder, and heated to set. Next I stamped the canyons image with black pigment, and used more clear ep to set that image. I cut the image into quarters and mounted it on black cardstock, which was then mounted on a pink card. I then created a small string of beads and adhered it to a black scrap, which is glued on the card.

Grilled Pork and a Fruit Salad "Dessert"

I get to cook again! No more late night work, just more time with my members at their sites and more time with my husband here at home.

It was perfect grill weather today, so I had Don cook a pork tenderloin on the grill. I made this sauce, and gave him a little to baste the meat when it was almost finished. We used the rest as a dipping sauce - it was soooo good.




Grilled Pork with Apricot Sauce

1 pork tenderloin (about 12 oz.)
1 cup apricot preserves
2 T lemon juice
2 T ketchup
1 T honey
2 t soy sauce
1/8 t ground ginger

While pork is grilling, combine the remaining ingredients in a small saucepan. Cook and stir until heated through. Use about a quarter cup of the sauce to baste the pork as it nears doneness. Use the rest as a dipping sauce or drizzled over the sliced meat.

I also threw together a fruit salad this afternoon so it could get cold in time for dessert later this evening. It's one of those salads that is made from ingredients you usually have on hand, and it can be lightened up by using sugar-free pudding and no-sugar-added fruit.

Fruit Pudding Salad

1 (20 ounce) can pineapple chunks
1 (16 ounce) can peach slices
1 (11 ounce) can mandarin orange sections
1 large apple
1 (3 3/4 ounce) box instant vanilla pudding
1 ½ cups milk (cold)
⅓ cup frozen orange juice concentrate (thawed)
¾ cup sour cream
Drain canned fruits.
Core and chop apple.
Combine all fruit in bowl and set aside.
Beat box of pudding with cold milk and orange juice concentrate for 2 minutes.
Beat in sour cream.
Fold this mixture into fruit mixture.
Cover and chill thoroughly. It comes out slightly soupy, so use a spoon!

Random Photo #1

This was taken in 1979 along the Gros Ventre River east of Grand Teton National Park. It was a cloudy, gloomy day, and at just the right moment the sun came out and highlighted the red hills.

We Have a Settlement!

For those of you who have been following our bargaining crisis, I can tell you now, proudly, that we reached an agreement with the district last night at 2:30 AM. After 17 1/2 hours, not to mention the 638 days before that, we finally have a fair, comparable, and competive offer to take to our membership.

For more information, visit our blog after 5:00 pm PST tomorrow (Saturday).

Yucaipa-Calimesa Teacher

Zucchini & Noodles

When my children were still living with us, before they grew up and went out on their own, this was one of their favorite dishes. It's pretty simple, and if you use whole grain pasta, it can be pretty healthy.

Zucchini and Noodles

8 oz. fusilli pasta
3 medium zucchini, halved lengthwise and sliced
2 T olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 c lowfat or skim milk
1/2 c grated Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper

Cook and drain pasta according to package directions. In a large skillet, saute the zucchini in olive oil until brown. Remove from pan. Add onion to skillet and cook until lightly golden. Add milk and continue to cook until reduced. Return zucchini to pan along with Parmesan, salt and pepper. Combine and heat through. Serve with additional Parmesan.

food & drink

Cookin' with Cyndi is now RUMINATIONS

I've been contemplating a name change, along with a content change. I want to do ALL my blogging in one blog - my travel and rv blogging and my cooking blogging in one place. In addition, I plan to add my stamping, cardmaking, and scrapbooking.

I hope you like the new look!

To start things off in the scrapbooking theme, I'll post one of my layouts from a trip I took two years ago to Portland, Oregon.




food & drink, scrapbooking, stamping

Chile-Roasted Edamame

I had an almost-full bag of edamame in my freezer - the kind from Trader Joe's that's shelled and ready to eat. I'd used some a few months ago for a rice recipe, and decided to use up the rest of it since it had been a while since I bought it. In searching through recipezaar, I came across this recipe by someone named Mercy. I really like the results - especially cold. They're a good salty snack. Don doesn't like them. So I guess you have to try and decide for yourself.


Chile-Roasted Edamame

12 oz. frozen edamame, shelled
2 teaspoon olive oil
½ teaspoon chili powder
¼ teaspoon onion salt
¼ teaspoon ground cumin
⅛ teaspoon paprika
⅛ tablespoon black pepper

Preheat oven to 375˚. Stir together the oil and spices in a small bowl. Toss the beans in the oil-spice mixture until well coated. Arrange beans in a single layer on a cookie sheet. Roast, uncovered, 12-15 minutes, stirring once, until the beans begin to brown. Refrigerate any leftovers.

Notes:
This can be eaten hot or cold. Makes a great snack.

food & drink

What's in Your Fridge?

The other day, Sam of Becks & Posh asked what was in our refrigerators. I went to the commissary today, so mine's happily full again. And since I embarked on my decluttering campaign and cleaned it out, I'm not ashamed to show it!

food & drink

Fish with Crispy Potatoes

Borrowed from Helen of Beyond Salmon, this recipe is very simple. Helen calls it "comfort food," and I have to agree. It's not often that you have potatoes with fish (well, unless you're having your fish fried). In my mind, fish is served with rice, though I'm sure there are all kinds of "appropriate" side dishes. I used mahi mahi for this dish tonight, since I had the individually-wrapped and frozen filets from Costco.



Fish with Crispy Potatoes

Butter for greasing the baking dish
4 medium Yukon gold potatoes
2 cloves garlic
1 1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
1/4 teaspoon black pepper, divided
2 teaspoons olive oil
¼ cup chopped parsley
4 tilapia or other firm white fillets

Set the racks in the bottom third and middle positions of your oven. Preheat the oven to 425F. Heavily butter a large shallow baking dish (about 10 by 16 inches).
Peel potatoes and slice into very thin (1/8" thick circles) using an adjustable blade slicer. Slice the garlic paper thin.

Mix potatoes, half of sliced garlic, olive oil 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper, and spread evenly in the baking dish in a single overlapping layer. Bake in the bottom third of the oven for 15 minutes or until potatoes are almost tender and starting to crisp around the edges of the baking dish.

Mix the remaining half of sliced garlic, parsley, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper in a large plate. Rub into fish fillets. Place fish fillets in a single layer on top of potatoes and bake in the middle of the oven 10 minutes per inch of thickness or until the fish is opaque in the center, but still juicy.



food & drink

Just Checking In

A lot of activity at work (and after work) has kept me from writing - we had a great time at our picketing yesterday.

for up-to-date information on what's going on with our labor crisis, go to our blog, here.

I'll try to write about cooking in the next couple of days.


food & drink

Our Wonderful Weekend at Laguna Beach

In the midst of a negotiations crisis, it was heavenly to be able to get away for a weekend at the beach. Yes, it was a "working retreat," but it was still a retreat. I joined 14 colleagues from several other local chapters (Redlands, Jurupa, and Rialto) at a planning retreat for our Uniserv. We stayed at the Inn at Laguna Beach, which is truly ON the beach.

Don and I drove down early Friday afternoon, through the pouring rain, and found the place easily. We were lucky enough to get a room with an ocean view. It had a porch we spent many hours on, where we could sit and watch not only the waves, the boats, and the dolphins, but the people: a walking path goes right by our room. This walking path is used by everyone, it seems, and while we may have seen them, they never noticed us. So we still felt "isolated." All the walkers would come up the hill from the beach, and stop to rest at the bench in the photo to the right. This is the view from our little porch.

We drove down to Dana Point so Don could check in on the sportfishing trip, and then we ate dinner at Wind & Sea - a great restaurant on the harbor. He had the Sesame-Crusted Ahi, which he'd had when we came down here 4 years ago, and I had the Seafood Combination - shrimp, scallops, and albacore. Delighful!




Saturday morning, Don got up really early, and went deep sea fishing all day while I spent the day in our planning session. I got lucky - it was in THIS room. And I sat in one of the chairs facing the ocean - where I found myself staring often. We finished early, and I was able to spend some more time on my little porch, reading and watching the walkers and the waves.



This was our view in the other direction :












Dinner Saturday night was at Las Brisas, a very nice Mexican restaurant next to the hotel. What a feast! Appetizers: jumbo fried shrimp, calimari, guacamole and chips, tuna salad, chicken skewers, and roasted tomato salsa. Salad: mixed field greens, candied walnuts, cranberries, feta cheese, grape tomatoes, and balsamic vinaigrette. Entree: Filet Mignon with truffle sauce, golden beets, asparagus, and a potato-corn dish (that I didn't eat). Dessert (which was shared by Ashley, Dan, Don, and me): cheesecake, chocolate cream puffs, creme brulee with fresh berries, chocolate layer cake, and chocolate-coated strawberries.

We waddled back to our rooms.

This morning, we awoke early to make coffee in our room so we could sit outside again for an hour before we walked up to the restaurant for breakfast. We saw a large pod of dolphins heading south, but didn't see any whales. Breakfast was at The Cottage, and I re-dedicated myself to low-carbing. The Eggs Florentine hit the spot.

After a short business meeting, we had to leave. I hated to check out. But we had to go home. Maybe we'll go down there again sometime. Maybe I can convince my executive board to go there for their retreat in the fall!

Losing the Clutter

This post has only a little to do with food; but I wanted to share what's been happening in my home the past week. When I was in Texas visiting my brother, I picked up a book called Cut the Clutter and Stow the Stuff: The Q.U.I.C.K. Way to Bring Lasting Order to Household Chaos, by Lori Baird. A little leafing through showed me that this was a book that was going to need more attention. Carol told me to take it home with me to California, and she also gave me two others.

I spent the drive from Kerrville to El Paso reading those books, especially the first one. I made lists. I planned. I envisioned. And by the time I got back to California, I was ready to go. See, I'm going to retire from teaching in 4 years - less, if our district offers an early retirement incentive. And then we're selling this house and moving into a fifth-wheel or a motorhome and hitting the road as full-time rv'ers. We're going to have to get rid of a LOT of stuff, and I might as well get started now.

First, I went around the house and filled up two garbage bags with junk. Some of it was really trash, that had accumulated on tables and dressers and other places, and some of it was really junk that I knew I was never going to need.

Next, I went to my closets, and pulled out jackets, skirts, blouses, purses, belts, dresses, and jeans that are either too big (hooray!), out of fashion, or just plain not "me" any more. I filled up two large boxes, which I took to the thrift store near my office on Monday. Then I took all the torn and stained clothes, including a bunch of t-shirts that I'd held on to for sentimental reasons (even though some were way too small), and threw them away. Another two garbage bags full.

Knowing that I won't need all my rubber stamps, and seeing that there have been dozens that I bought and haven't used, and won't use, I put them up on ebay. So far I've sold 25 of them for an average of $4 apiece.

I found some other great things to put on ebay - a piece of software that I bought and never opened, some shoes that are brand new, a few upscale clothes items that I knew would sell, and have already made $300. I'll start putting the better decorative items up (crystal, Hummels, etc.) soon, and am finding things to get rid of every time I turn around.

Yesterday after breakfast I decided to tackle the refrigerator. I've neglected the fridge for years. It was really grody (old word from college meaning disgusting or gross). I threw out 5 jars of apple butter made two years ago - botulism anyone? I also tossed some salad dressings and other condiments way past their use-by dates. The actual cleaning of the refrigerator took me almost THREE hours. That's because it had been so long. Now I know exactly what's in there and where, and have promised myself to clean it more often. I should have take "before" and "after" pictures, but I forgot. One night this week I'll do the front of it - where we have probably 30 magnets, each with its own picture, note, or other piece of ephemera.

Today I cleaned up my scrapbooking area, and have started to toss things I don't need, and organize everything else. I think I'll put together some assortments of things to put on ebay. I've accumulated so much STUFF!

This is so fun. It's so liberating. And it's even a bit lucrative! A few months ago I bought a large, plastic, blue piggy bank - it has no cork, and is made of the kind of plastic frisbees are made of - so you can't get into it unless you use kitchen shears to destroy it. I've been popping all my silver in it, and now I'm sticking large bills in it. Once it's so full I can't cram anything else in it, we'll open it and buy ourselves something special for the trailer/motorhome.

Why is this food related? Well, the refrigerator is cleaned and organized, and next I'll do the pantry and cabinets. I guess I'll finally get rid of the electric skillet Don bought me for Christmas in 1980, the year before we got married. And which waffle iron do I keep - the regular one that makes 4 squares at a time or the Belgian one? Do I really need 5 large skillets? And what about the Royal Doulton mugs and saucers that we've NEVER EVER used?

What have you done to get organized lately?

Whole Wheat Pumpkin Pancakes

One of my favorite breakfast restaurants is a great cafe in Yucaipa called Kopper Kettle. I have breakfast with a few friends every Friday morning, and it's also the place where our bargaining team eats every negotiations day. A few years ago, they started to make pumpkin pancakes during the fall, and they were so popular that they now are a permanent item on the menu.

Kopper Kettle's pumpkin pancakes are served with a fabulous toffee butter sauce, which the waitress tells me is made the same way you make Hollandaise - with egg yolks and butter, but then lots of sugar - brown sugar, I think. I don't know, and I don't want to know, since I can use up a day's worth of carbs in one serving.

I've decided to eat my pumpkin pancakes with sugar-free maple "syrup," and have found both Mrs. Butterworth's and Log Cabin brands to be pretty good. I've tried Carey's, and it's a little medicinal. I found a good recipe for whole wheat pancakes, and have made up a big batch so Don can have leftovers (in bags in the freezer).

Whole Wheat Pumpkin Pancakes

2 cups white whole wheat pastry flour
2 Tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon ginger
2 eggs
2 cups buttermilk or sour milk
¼ cup vegetable oil
1 15 oz. can pumpkin puree

In a large bowl combine flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and ginger. In a medium size bowl combine eggs, buttermilk, olive oil and pumpkin puree. Mix well. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and combine well. Cook pancakes on a hot griddle.

food & drink

I'm Baaaack!

UPDATE: First of all, Don's eye is much, much better. The inflammation is all gone. The glaucoma/pressure is back to normal. He is developing a cataract, which is normal, and the doctor anticipates removing it sometime toward the end of the summer, after we return from our vacation. He still can't see very well out of it, but that should improve with time and after the cataract surgery.

My daughter has had a setback in her condition. She has, as you know, a temporary ileostomy, which should already have been closed. But the j-pouch created last October has shrunk (doctor speculates due to lack of blood flow) and there was a leak into the abdominal cavity as well. (That's what caused her infection and subsequent hospitalization back in March.) In addition, the anal opening had shrunk. So two weeks ago, the day before we left for Texas, she had surgery to dilate the anus and to try to remove some scar tissue from the j-pouch. The doctor feels that the pouch has shrunk to the point where it will be unusable and is recommending that the ileostomy be permanent. She is adamant that it NOT be. The only way that can happen is for another major surgery to create a new pouch. She is insisting on this, and we'll see how things go the next few months. It's still minutely possible that the little pouch she has will be usable.

We had a great spring break, where we left town and I didn't think about work much at all. First, we spent 5 days at the beach. Camp Pendleton, the Marine base in Oceanside, has a great RV campground right on the beach. We spent 4 lovely nights there - the 5th was a howling windstorm. The weather up until the windstorm was perfect, and Don was able to go deep sea fishing as well as fish from the breakwater. I read and did some stamping and creating cards. I listened to a lot of music, did a little shopping, and worked on de-stressing.

We came home on Wednesday, T's surgery was Thursday, and then, since she was okay, we left Friday for Texas. We drove the northern route (Interstate 40) and spent the night in Grants, New Mexico. The hotel had bedbugs, which I learned after I developed a nasty rash on the inside of my thigh. Luckily, Mom had some hydrocortisone and it's now just about gone. We stayed at Mom's house Saturday, Sunday,Monday, and Tuesday,and were able to see my younger sister as well. Mom enjoyed cooking for us, and sent us home with a huge box of books for me to read. My sister,, who has lost almost 50 pounds the last year, sent me home with a huge box of nice work and casual clothes.

On Wednesday we drove to Kerrville to see my brother, who lives in a beautiful geodesic dome house on a hilltop overlooking the city. We had a restful visit with him and his wife, and left the next morning for the long drive home.

Thursday night we had reservations at the on-base billeting/hotel at Ft. Bliss in El Paso. Normally, the billeting hotels are like regular hotels, and I'm sure the main building at Ft. Bliss is nice. But it was full, so they put us in the annex, which was a converted barracks building. AAACCCKKK. No air conditioning, a full-sized bed, thin walls, and hard-as-a-rock couch. Both of us couldn't sleep on the bed, so I slept on the couch (my choice). It stayed hot and stuffy the whole night. It was so bad that the next night's Econo Lodge in Phoenix seemed luxurious by comparison.

We arrived home around 9:30 Saturday morning (we got an early start in Phoenix), and I immediately began my new, fun project:

LOSING THE CLUTTER!

While I was in Kerrville, I picked up a book on my sister-in-law's table called Cut the Clutter and Stow the Stuff, edited by Lori Baird. I borrowed it, and then spent the drive home reading it, taking notes, and making lists. You see, Don and I plan to sell our house in about 4 years, and buy a motorhome or 5th wheel and hit the road full time. Between now and then, we have to get rid of a great deal of clutter, which I've let accumulate over the years.

On Sunday, I threw out 2 trash bags full of junk and old, useless clothes. I then listed some clothes, rubber stamps, and kitchen items on ebay - and will continue to try to sell as much as I can on ebay. So far I've sold 8 rubber stamps, 3 foodsaver canisters, an unopened package of software, and a shirt. That's about $150 I've made so far. On Monday, I delivered a huge box and 5 hanger's worth of clothes, purses and belts to the thrift shop near my office.

This is so fun! And it's getting to be so easy, now that I've made a dent in the clutter. My eyes don't pass over it any more like they used to - I'm constantly picking things up and throwing them away - asking myself - do I use this? Do I think I'll use this? Can I sell it? Can I donate it? Can I give it as a gift?

Just having more room to move around will be worth it, and by the time we're ready to hit the road, we should be down to the basic essentials.

Anyone want a chipped, but still pretty Hummel figurine? How about one that has a staff that's been broken and glued back together? They're adorable, and if they were in perfect condition, they'd be worth a lot of money. But I can't sell them since they're not perfect. So if anyone wants them, let me know.

As far as cooking goes, it's great to be back in my kitchen. I'll be writing and posting again about food soon. I've gotten to the point where I'm cooking a lot of things I've already written about, so sometimes I just don't bother to post. I only want to write about new things. Maybe I'll work on some other aspects of food blogging. We'll see.

Thanks for reading all this, and thanks for the words of support while I've been away.

food & drink

Taking a Break From Food Blogging

I just can't do it right now. There will be no Soup or Stew Thursday or any other food blogging from me for a while. My job and my family are consuming my life - you all know about my daughter's struggles with ulcerative colitis, colon removal, and her ileostomy - and now there are complications. You all know about my husband's eye injury, and now there are complications. You all know about my work as a teachers' union president - and the complications continue to grow and grow.

I have to step back and prioritize my time - and this (Cookin' with Cyndi) has to take a back seat for a while.

For more information, and great reading, about our bargaining situation, go to Yucaipa-Calimesa Teacher, our blog-by-committee. (At least I'm still blogging!)

So for now, I'm logging off. I might visit some of you now and then to say hello!

Small But Tasty Soup Roundup

I guess people are pretty busy, or they're not fixing soup - we have a small roundup tonight. That's okay!

First up is Paula of The Cookbook Junkie, who sends a Cheesy Broccoli Soup from The New Holly Clegg Trim and Terrific Cookbook. Never heard of Holly Clegg? Me neither. Paula explains, "Poor Holly Clegg. No one has heard of her. Well, one person. Supposedly she's been on a couple of the national morning news programs and she's contributed recipes to many magazines. She's written six cookbooks and has her own website. There's a press item on her site that says that WebMD named this cookbook one of the top 10 healthy cookbooks.


Next up is Ulrike of Küchenlatein, who sends in a soup I just HAVE to try: Lauchsuppe mit Leberkäs-Spiessen, or Leek Soup with Leberkäs Skewers. What makes this stand out to me is the skewers. Leberkäse is similar to bologna, but tastes much better. I buy it often at the German market near my office, and I use it two ways: in Fleishsalat, or cut in thick slices and fried (then put on a sandwich). I like how Ulrike took cubes of crusty German bread and skewered them with cubes of leberkäs, after browning them in a little oil. What a clever and attractive presentation!



Heather of Eating for One contributes Mexican Potato Soup. This is a unique take on potato soup, since it also has corn, bell peppers, cilantro, cumin, and jalapenos. Heather says she got the recipe from USA Today, where occasionally you can find some good ones.





What did I make? I made a soup I've tried before and really liked, Italian Sausage and Spinach Soup. One thing I did differently this time was add a pinch of crushed red pepper with the broth. It gave it a good taste, but wasn't enough to make it hot.

food & drink

Don't Forget Thursday Soup or Stew!

Get your posts done and let me know by 7:00 pm PACIFIC time tonight!

Email to cholmaneee at uia dot net

food & drink

A Meme for the Literary

Several different blogs I read (in the school/education area) have this meme, which I challenge my readers to do, too. I've always considered myself "well read," but this showed me I'm not as well read as I thought. I guess I enjoy the detective novels too much!

Here's what you do:

Look at the list of books below.
* (Bold) the ones you’ve read
* Italicize the ones you want to read
* Leave unchanged the ones that you aren’t interested in.
* If you are reading this, tag, you’re it!

1. The Da Vinci Code (Dan Brown)
2. Pride and Prejudice (Jane Austin)
3. To Kill A Mockingbird (Harper Lee)
4. Gone With The Wind (Margaret Mitchell)
5. The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King (Tolkien)
6. The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring (Tolkien)
7. The Lord of the Rings: Two Towers (Tolkien)
8. Anne of Green Gables (L.M. Montgomery)
9. Outlander (Diana Gabaldon)
10. A Fine Balance (Rohinton Mistry)
11. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Rowling)
12. Angels and Demons (Dan Brown)
13. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Rowling)
14. A Prayer for Owen Meany (John Irving)
15. Memoirs of a Geisha (Arthur Golden)
16. Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (Rowling) (known as Sorcerer's Stone in the US)
17. Fall on Your Knees (Ann-Marie MacDonald)
18. The Stand (Stephen King)
19. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Rowling)
20. Jane Eyre (Charlotte Bronte)
21. The Hobbit (Tolkien)
22. The Catcher in the Rye (J.D. Salinger)
23. Little Women (Louisa May Alcott)
24. The Lovely Bones (Alice Sebold)
25. Life of Pi (Yann Martel)
26. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (Douglas Adams)
27. Wuthering Heights (Emily Bronte)
28. The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe (C. S. Lewis)
29. East of Eden (John Steinbeck)
30. Tuesdays with Morrie (Mitch Albom)
31. Dune (Frank Herbert)
32. The Notebook (Nicholas Sparks)
33. Atlas Shrugged (Ayn Rand)
34. 1984 (Orwell)
35. The Mists of Avalon (Marion Zimmer Bradley)
36. The Pillars of the Earth (Ken Follett)
37. The Power of One (Bryce Courtenay)
38. I Know This Much is True (Wally Lamb)
39. The Red Tent (Anita Diamant)
40. The Alchemist (Paulo Coelho)
41. The Clan of the Cave Bear (Jean M. Auel)
42. The Kite Runner (Khaled Hosseini)
43. Confessions of a Shopaholic (Sophie Kinsella)
44. The Five People You Meet In Heaven (Mitch Albom)
45. Bible
46. Anna Karenina (Tolstoy)
47. The Count of Monte Cristo (Alexandre Dumas)
48. Angela’s Ashes (Frank McCourt
49. The Grapes of Wrath (John Steinbeck)
50. She’s Come Undone (Wally Lamb)
51. The Poisonwood Bible (Barbara Kingsolver)
52. A Tale of Two Cities (Dickens)
53. Ender’s Game (Orson Scott Card)
54. Great Expectations (Dickens)
55. The Great Gatsby (Fitzgerald)
56. The Stone Angel (Margaret Laurence)
57. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Rowling)
58. The Thorn Birds (Colleen McCullough)
59. The Handmaid’s Tale (Margaret Atwood)
60. The Time Traveller’s Wife (Audrew Niffenegger)
61. Crime and Punishment (Fyodor Dostoyevsky)
62. The Fountainhead (Ayn Rand)
63. War and Peace (Tolstoy)
64. Interview With The Vampire (Anne Rice)
65. Fifth Business (Robertson Davis)
66. One Hundred Years Of Solitude (Gabriel Garcia Marquez)
67. The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants (Ann Brashares)
68. Catch-22 (Joseph Heller)
69. Les Miserables (Hugo)
70. The Little Prince (Antoine de Saint-Exupery)
71. Bridget Jones’ Diary (Fielding)
72. Love in the Time of Cholera (Marquez)
73. Shogun (James Clavell)
74. The English Patient (Michael Ondaatje)
75. The Secret Garden (Frances Hodgson Burnett)
76. The Summer Tree (Guy Gavriel Kay)
77. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (Betty Smith)
78. The World According To Garp (John Irving)
79. The Diviners (Margaret Laurence)
80. Charlotte’s Web (E.B. White)
81. Not Wanted On The Voyage (Timothy Findley)
82. Of Mice And Men (Steinbeck)
83. Rebecca (Daphne DuMaurier)
84. Wizard’s First Rule (Terry Goodkind)
85. Emma (Jane Austen)
86. Watership Down(Richard Adams)
87. Brave New World (Aldous Huxley)
88. The Stone Diaries (Carol Shields)
89. Blindness (Jose Saramago)
90. Kane and Abel (Jeffrey Archer)
91. In The Skin Of A Lion (Ondaatje)
92. Lord of the Flies (Golding)
93. The Good Earth (Pearl S. Buck)
94. The Secret Life of Bees (Sue Monk Kidd)
95. The Bourne Identity (Robert Ludlum)
96. The Outsiders (S.E. Hinton)
97. White Oleander (Janet Fitch)
98. A Woman of Substance (Barbara Taylor Bradford)
99. The Celestine Prophecy (James Redfield)
100. Ulysses (James Joyce)

Thursday Soup or Stew Night #6

It looks like the roundup will be rather small tonight, but there will still be some excellent recipes here.

First, we're joined by Pamela of Posie's Place, who gives us The Best Stew Recipe. It's a Jamie Oliver recipe! I love Jamie Oliver, and this one looks great.










Next, Chris from Mele Cotte sends in Mushroom Beef Stw, made in her crockpot after she saw a link she liked on Kuchenlatein.











Speaking of Ulrike, she decided to try out her crockpot and made a hearty German Pea Soup. Notice that this has what looks like hot dogs in it. Well, I can assure you, they're not hot dogs. They're wiener, or Viennese sausages, which are often found in hearty soups like this.








From another city in Germany, Hamburg, Petra from FoodFreak sends in another great soup, Goulash Soup I remember goulash soup being one of my favorites when we ate out in Germany. It's nice to have a recipe now so I can make my own!









My contribution tonight is some Turkey-Vegetable Barley Soup. I started with a recipe for Beef Barley Soup, added mixed vegetables, and substituted ground turkey for the ground beef. This was excellent. The tomatoes and tomato sauce made it much better than we expected. I made this a couple of days ago, and as it sat in the refrigerator, the barley soaked up a lot of the broth, and it turned into a stew.

Turkey-Vegetable Barley Soup

¾ cup chopped onion
¾ cup chopped celery
¾ cup chopped bell pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
¾ pound ground turkey
3 cups water
1 ½ teaspoon beef bouillon granules
2 cups frozen mixed vegetables
⅓ cup regular barley
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
1 large bay leaf
1 14.5 oz. diced tomatoes, with their juice
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
In Dutch oven or soup pot, saute onion, bell pepper, celery and garlic with the ground turkey until it loses its red color, breaking it up as it cooks.
Add all other ingredients.
Simmer for 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours.

I won't be posting for a couple of days. We're going to Anaheim this weekend. I'm helping host a small leadership conference at Disney's Paradise Pier Hotel. I'll let you know how it goes when we come back!

A New Recipe from Cooking Light

The latest Cooking Light came in the mail the other day, and as I was leafing through it last night, this chicken recipe jumped out at me. I made it tonight. It was quick, simple, and really, really good. "Another keeper!" I made it in my toaster oven (because I halved the recipe), and was surprised how quickly it cooked.

Spicy Honey-Brushed Chicken Thighs
from Cooking Light

2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper
8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
cooking spray
6 tablespoons honey
2 teaspoons cider vinegar

Preheat broiler. Combine first 6 ingredient in a large bowl. Add chicken to bowl; toss to coat. Place chicken on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray. Broil chicken 5 minutes on each side. (I cautiously did it for 6 each side). Combine honey and vinegar in a small bowl. Remove chicken from oven; brush honey mixture on chicken. Broil 1 minute. Remove chicken from oven again, turn over, and brush with remaining honey mixture. Broil another couple of minutes or until chicken is done.



food & drink

Update on the Eye

Don went to the doctor today, who said he's healing well. When you look at him head on, the pupil in his right eye is small, and the one in his left is huge. The doctor said that's the injury. They had him look at an eye chart - he could vaguely see the large E, but then when they put the second chart up, he couldn't see a thing. There's a cataract forming, which is normal, and eventually he'll have to have surgery to have it removed. He asked why he continues to have nausea, and was told that's normal, too - due to the conflicting messages his brain is getting. He asked what he could do to make the nausea stop, and the doctor said, "Quit doing things like driving yourself to the doctor!" It's just going to take some getting used to.




food & drink

Don't Forget Soup or Stew Night!

Nothing to write about tonight, since we had BLTs, so I just want to remind you to send in your posts for Thursday Soup or Stew Night #6.

food & drink

A New Comfort Food Recipe

One of my favorite bloggers, Ruth of Once Upon a Feast has started a weekly food event called Presto Pasta Nights. This is my first submission to her event!

I've told you about Martha Green before; she's a restaurant and bakery owner in Redlands who gives us a daily recipe on the local NPR station. I was scrolling through her recipes, looking for some pasta dishes, and this one caught my eye. I liked how the pasta cooked in the sauce, instead of being boiled in advance. Another thing I found especially tasty was the sweetness of the peas.

Baked Four-Cheese Pasta
4 slices bacon, chopped fine
1 small onion, chopped fine
2 cloves, garlic minced
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 cup heavy cream
½ lb penne or ziti
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup frozen peas
1 cup shredded Italian cheese blend

Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat to 450˚. Cook bacon, onion and garlic in large non-stick skillet over med-high heat until onion is softened, about 5 minutes. Add broth, cream, pasta and salt; cover and bring to boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring frequently until pasta is tender, about 15 minutes.

Remove from heat, stir in Parmesan cheese and peas; season with salt and pepper. Transfer to 2-quart casserole dish and sprinkle with shredded cheese. Bake until cheese is melted and spotty brown, about 5 minutes. Serves 4.

ALERT ALERT ALERT ALERT

This is a long time in coming, and I should have done it MONTHS ago. You may have seen several posts last year about my helping Ruth test a few recipes for a cookbook. Remember when I wrote about Ruth's Best Chile Ever? YOU can get that top-secret recipe if you buy her cookbook - either an e-book or on CD. Just go to her blog, Once Upon a Feast, and order from there. Believe me, it's worth every penny!



food & drink

Using the Oven Again

A cold front came through yesterday, leaving us with a little more snow on the ground, and this morning it was 22 when we got up. I decided to make a meal that utilized the oven, so I made Hunter's Chicken and Caramelized Butternut Squash. The squash recipe comes from Ina Garten's show on the Food Network. This is only the second time I've had butternut squash (the first time was when I made Butternut Squash Fries in November), and this time it was even better. I changed the original recipe, and used Splenda Brown Sugar Blend instead of regular brown sugar.

Hunter's Chicken

2 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoon oil
6 boneless chicken breasts
1 cup sliced onion
2 cup sliced mushrooms
1 clove garlic, minced
3 tablespoon flour
½ teaspoon salt
⅛ teaspoon pepper
1 cup dry white wine
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon Kitchen Bouquet browning liquid (optional)
1 cup diced tomatoes
¼ cup chopped parsley

In a large skillet heat together butter and oil. Cook chicken over medium heat until browned. Remove to a 12x7x2" baking dish; keep warm. In same skillet, combine onion, mushrooms, and garlic. Cook and stir until onion is tender. Stir in flour, salt, and pepper, mix well. Add wine, broth, Chicken Bouquet, and tomatoes, mix well. Cook and stir over medium-high heat until mixture is thickened and bubbly. Cook and stir 1 minute more. Pour over chicken. Bake, uncovered, at 350˚ for 30 minutes or until chicken is tender. Sprinkle with parsley. Serve over hot cooked rice or orzo.

Caramelized Butternut Squash
1 medium butternut squash
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
2 tablespoons light brown sugar, packed (I used 1 tablespoon Splenda Brown Sugar Blend)
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
2. Cut off the ends of butternut squash and discard.
3. Peel the squash and cut in half lengthwise.
4. Using a spoon, remove the seeds.
5. Cut the squash into 1 1/4" to 1 1/2" cubes (large and uniform is best), and place them on a baking sheet.
6. Add the melted butter, brown sugar, salt and pepper.
7. With clean hands, toss all of the ingredients together and spread out in a single layer on the baking sheet.
8. Roast for 45 minutes to 55 minutes, until the squash is tender and the glaze begins to caramelize.
9. Turn the squash while roasting a few times with a spatula to be sure it browns evenly.
10. Adjust seasonings if needed.
11. Serve hot.



food & drink

A Taste of New Mexico

The first time I ever had Chile Colorado was in 1975 at a restaurant in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Then I didn't have it again for 10 years. The second time was at a restaurant in Crestline, California - in 1985. I wasn't that "in" to cooking yet, and therefore had no idea how to make it for myself. Then, a woman I worked with in Texas gave me a recipe, which I then experimented with until it was my own. My personal touch was to substitute 1 cup of burgundy for 1 cup of the beef broth in the original recipe. It adds a rich flavor to the dish.

Chile Colorado

1 pound sirloin, cut in 1/2" pieces
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
2 Tbsp. flour
1 Tbsp. chile powder
1/2 to 1 teaspoon chipotle chile powder (this adds "heat")
1 cup burgundy (I keep a jug of Gallo just for recipes like this)
1 cup water
1 teaspoon beef bouillon granules or one beef bouillon cube

Toss beef with salt and oil in a large skillet. Cover, and turn heat on very low. Simmer, about 20 minutes - juices will come out and then will cook out - once meat begins to sizzle it's time to start the next step. Sprinkle meat with flour and chile powders, then add burgundy, water, and bouillon. Raise heat to medium high, and cook, stirring, until mixture begins to thicken.

This is great served with flour or corn tortillas and some Spanish Rice.

While we were eating, I had dessert cooking in the oven. For a long time, Don and I have been missing dessert, though we have a stash of sugar-free pudding in the fridge. I had a craving for my mother's cherry cobbler, but decided to try it with a lot less of the sugar called for in her recipe. Success! This came out really well. Maybe next time I'll try it with ALL Splenda instead of just 3/4.

Mom's Cherry Cobbler (low-sugar version)

1/4 cup butter, melted
1 cup flour
1/2 cup Splenda granular
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
2/3 cup milk
1 15-oz can tart pie cherries, undrained
1/2 cup Splenda granular

Preheat oven to 350˚. Pour butter into 9" or 10" square baking dish. Mix together the flour, Splenda granular, sugar, salt, and baking powder. Add milk, and stir to mix. Pour over butter. DO NOT STIR. In a small bowl, combine the undrained cherries and Splenda, and pour over batter. DO NOT STIR. Bake 35 minutes.

We ate ours as it was, but it's very good with vanilla ice cream (or sugar-free frozen yogurt!)





food & drink