I am in my hammock...
9:29 PM... the wind is blowing out of the southwest, pushing a heat lightning storm across the palouse. I can feel the pressure change, laying here outside on my deck. It is weird, almost like waves that give me the sensation that I am falling or spinning. But then a cool breeze will push it past me and I will feel normal again. To the west I see the flash of light across the horizon, but I can't hear the thunder. It's almost unnatural, to think that there can be lightning without thunder. Growing up in the south, the two went together... but not here.
I am trying to relax, but I can't. Darius's surgery date looms on the horizon, it feels unnatural too. Distant like the lightning but in fact is just 7 days away. The lightning is close now too.
9:45 PM... Our neighbor's little dog is barking, anxious, because of the coming storm most likely. I feel the same way, anxious. It is not just the little dog, a pack of coyotes has taken up the call, they are all around... baying from all sides, they feel it to, the nervous energy before a storm.
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Monday, May 9, 2011
Lime and Cilantro Rice
I whipped this recipe out the other day for a Cinco de Mayo party (Thanks Stacy and Steve!). It is a basmatti rice with lime and cilantro.
3 cups basmatti rice
1 onion
1 lime
1 bunch of cilantro
salt to taste
olive oil
Soak rice for 1/2 hour, drain several times till water runs clear. Cook rice in large pot with excess water (salt the water with 2-3 Tbsp of salt) till the rice is almost done. You want to be able to bit into it and have a bit of hardness still. Drain rice and wash with water. This will blanch the rice and remove the excess salt water. Slice onion, chop cilantro, cut lime in half. In pot that you cooked the rice, pour 2-3 Tbsp of olive oil and layer sliced onion so it covers the bottom of the pot. Turn on stove to med-high heat. Put half the rice into the pot and add half the cilantro and lime, add salt to taste. Mix and repeat with the remaining rice, cilantro and lime, again add a little salt to taste. Turn down the stove top to low heat and cover the pot, cook for additional 15 minutes or so. This will steam the rice to completion and create a nice fried onion crust on the bottom.
Enjoy!
3 cups basmatti rice
1 onion
1 lime
1 bunch of cilantro
salt to taste
olive oil
Soak rice for 1/2 hour, drain several times till water runs clear. Cook rice in large pot with excess water (salt the water with 2-3 Tbsp of salt) till the rice is almost done. You want to be able to bit into it and have a bit of hardness still. Drain rice and wash with water. This will blanch the rice and remove the excess salt water. Slice onion, chop cilantro, cut lime in half. In pot that you cooked the rice, pour 2-3 Tbsp of olive oil and layer sliced onion so it covers the bottom of the pot. Turn on stove to med-high heat. Put half the rice into the pot and add half the cilantro and lime, add salt to taste. Mix and repeat with the remaining rice, cilantro and lime, again add a little salt to taste. Turn down the stove top to low heat and cover the pot, cook for additional 15 minutes or so. This will steam the rice to completion and create a nice fried onion crust on the bottom.
Enjoy!
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Remodel, Part 2
Spring is finally upon the palouse and our bonus room remodel is going well. I have removed all the ceiling cross beams and added a small wall to create a walk in closet. Hopefully, this weekend I will finish framing the peak in the center of the room and frame in the wall book cases. Tomorrow I am going to stop by PBS and get the 2x4 needed to finish the peak. We got out quote for insulation from MBS and JJs, which we will need to evaluate and decide if we want to install the insulation ourselves, and save $400 or have MBS do it and save ourselves a weekend. Right now I am leaning towards installing it on my own. I can probably get some help from a couple of friends one evening and get most of it done then. I have never put in insulation, so I will probably learn something in the process... All of this remodeling has us thinking about finishing off the house and doing the addition this summer. This would be a pretty major project, adding on about 800 square feet to the house. The financial side of things makes this project a bit scary, but in the long run it will add tremendous value to the house and ease some of the issues we are having because all the boys sleep in one room right now. The addition will include a living room (18 x 26) and a master bedroom suite. We would convert our existing living room into a formal dining room as part of the addition/remodel. Pretty soon it will be time to till the garden and get some plants growing, I am excited about this as usual. I love fresh veggies from the garden. My plan is to get some lettuce, spinach, bok choi, and carrots into the ground by Vivi's birthday (April 15), so that by WSU graduation we will have a steady supply of salad veggies. In May, I will start the rest of the crops. Mostly from seed, but also from the starts at the farmers market. Fun spring projects!
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Bonus Room Remodel
So, besides training for a half marathon in June, ViviAnne and I have decided it is time to finish up all our little home projects. Mainly this includes the basement bathroom and the bonus room, but also includes all the little fix-it things that happened over the last 4 years living in the house (three boys are amazingly destructive).
In February I finished tiling the basement bathroom. It was a lot of work, but the bathroom looks great, so I am glad to have done it. I have grouted the tile and sealed it once, but still need to go back over it all one more time, just to be safe. Then I will hook up the shower head and give it a whirl. When we built the house, all we put in there was the piping, so I am looking at a 4 and a half year bathroom remodel (good thing I don't get paid for this).
The next big ticket item is the bonus room. ViviAnne and I have come to realize that we need another room. The boys are starting to need a little more space as they are all crammed into one room right now. Plus the bonus room is by far the coolest room in the house, with nice views of both Kamiak Butte and Moscow Mountain. So it is time to do some remodeling, luckily the room is only framed and wired so changes will be easy...
First thing is to raise the ceiling. I want to have a ceiling fan in the room, but I find that in a normal height room I hit my hands on the blades if I raise them up, so I want to put the height of the center of the room up just a little bit. The roof itself is formed from the garage trusses so I have a bit of room to raise the ceiling into. I will need to redo some of the electrical wiring, phone, and TV cabling as well. The second thing to do is frame in a wall to create a small walk in closet. We will also upgrade the lighting fixtures to can lighting.
Once the framing and wiring changes are done, it will be time to insulate. Most likely we will hire out for this bit. But price may become an issue, so I may find myself doing this too. Sheet rocking, taping, painting, and flooring come after. I will post more once I have finished the first part, pictures too I hope!
Happy hammering.
In February I finished tiling the basement bathroom. It was a lot of work, but the bathroom looks great, so I am glad to have done it. I have grouted the tile and sealed it once, but still need to go back over it all one more time, just to be safe. Then I will hook up the shower head and give it a whirl. When we built the house, all we put in there was the piping, so I am looking at a 4 and a half year bathroom remodel (good thing I don't get paid for this).
The next big ticket item is the bonus room. ViviAnne and I have come to realize that we need another room. The boys are starting to need a little more space as they are all crammed into one room right now. Plus the bonus room is by far the coolest room in the house, with nice views of both Kamiak Butte and Moscow Mountain. So it is time to do some remodeling, luckily the room is only framed and wired so changes will be easy...
First thing is to raise the ceiling. I want to have a ceiling fan in the room, but I find that in a normal height room I hit my hands on the blades if I raise them up, so I want to put the height of the center of the room up just a little bit. The roof itself is formed from the garage trusses so I have a bit of room to raise the ceiling into. I will need to redo some of the electrical wiring, phone, and TV cabling as well. The second thing to do is frame in a wall to create a small walk in closet. We will also upgrade the lighting fixtures to can lighting.
Once the framing and wiring changes are done, it will be time to insulate. Most likely we will hire out for this bit. But price may become an issue, so I may find myself doing this too. Sheet rocking, taping, painting, and flooring come after. I will post more once I have finished the first part, pictures too I hope!
Happy hammering.
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Half Marathon
Yup, you read it right, I am going to do a half marathon. The half marathon I have chosen to do is in the foothills of Mt. Hood, the course travels around Lake Timothy 14.2 miles. You can learn more about it here. I have never done one before, in fact I have never really run more than a couple of miles, and I am a bit nervous about finishing the whole thing.
I have gotten my self a training program, and it looks pretty good. During the week I run a couple of times, about 3-5 miles each time, and then do some cross training and strength training on the off days. On Saturday or Sunday I go out for a longer run, gradually increasing the distance throughout the next 11 weeks. By the first week of June I will be doing 10-11 mile runs on the weekend.
I did my first weekend run today and feel great. I ran 4 miles along kitzmiller rd. and feel really good. I held a 9:11 minute pace, which I hope to improve on these next couple of weeks. The road I ran along is gravel and through the wheat field of the palouse. Right now, everything is a bit brown, but in a couple more weeks all the wheat will be up and everything will be emerald green, my favorite time of the year in the palouse. I also started tracking my runs with an online training website, Running Ahead. So if you want to follow me, go right ahead, I think I left my profile public on that site.
I have gotten my self a training program, and it looks pretty good. During the week I run a couple of times, about 3-5 miles each time, and then do some cross training and strength training on the off days. On Saturday or Sunday I go out for a longer run, gradually increasing the distance throughout the next 11 weeks. By the first week of June I will be doing 10-11 mile runs on the weekend.
I did my first weekend run today and feel great. I ran 4 miles along kitzmiller rd. and feel really good. I held a 9:11 minute pace, which I hope to improve on these next couple of weeks. The road I ran along is gravel and through the wheat field of the palouse. Right now, everything is a bit brown, but in a couple more weeks all the wheat will be up and everything will be emerald green, my favorite time of the year in the palouse. I also started tracking my runs with an online training website, Running Ahead. So if you want to follow me, go right ahead, I think I left my profile public on that site.
Monday, January 31, 2011
Battlestar Galactica
For the past two or so weeks ViviAnne and I have been addicted to Battlestar Galactica. I didn't think ViviAnne was really into Sci-Fi, but she likes this show. We put the kids to bed, make a cup of tea (coffee for me:) and fire up the o'l netflix. We usually watch 2-3 episodes a night, and then go to sleep thinking that we should have stopped one episode earlier.
It is a great show. Tonight we will probably finish up Season 2.5.
Starbuck out.
It is a great show. Tonight we will probably finish up Season 2.5.
Starbuck out.
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Fudge, Euker, Bud
My uncle passed away this morning. Great uncle actually, uncle Bud. I haven't seen him for quite a long time, I would say more than 15 years. But I do remember the last time I visited him.
My parents and sister and I had traveled up to visit my grandparents in Amherst, MA for Christmas. We took the car and traveled to uncle Bud and Aunt Maxine's house with my grandparents. We got there in the early afternoon and played euchre into the evening. I remember playing with uncle Bud against my grandfather and father, I think we won every game we played. It was fun and I remember hearing some good euchre wisdom from uncle Bud. I also remember that there was a lot of table talk about every one's hand, except for uncle Bud, he was pretty quiet, only chiming in with things like, "...your partner is always good for two tricks" and "never lead next suite".
The other thing I remember about my visit was the full blown distillery in the basement and the fudge. Uncle Bud made a lot of wine out of different stuff, like pears or peaches or potatoes. Fudge is one of my favorite ways to eat chocolate, so euchre and fudge and family, it doesn't get much better than that.
Save a chair for me at the euchre table. Peace.
My parents and sister and I had traveled up to visit my grandparents in Amherst, MA for Christmas. We took the car and traveled to uncle Bud and Aunt Maxine's house with my grandparents. We got there in the early afternoon and played euchre into the evening. I remember playing with uncle Bud against my grandfather and father, I think we won every game we played. It was fun and I remember hearing some good euchre wisdom from uncle Bud. I also remember that there was a lot of table talk about every one's hand, except for uncle Bud, he was pretty quiet, only chiming in with things like, "...your partner is always good for two tricks" and "never lead next suite".
The other thing I remember about my visit was the full blown distillery in the basement and the fudge. Uncle Bud made a lot of wine out of different stuff, like pears or peaches or potatoes. Fudge is one of my favorite ways to eat chocolate, so euchre and fudge and family, it doesn't get much better than that.
Save a chair for me at the euchre table. Peace.
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
King's Gold Potato Soup
I was on facebook the other day and saw a post from a friend in high school. She was making cougar gold cheddar and potato soup, so I asked for the recipe. I added a few things (bacon), but the majority of this is from Ms. King-Hood. Thanks Cyell!
1/2 stick butter
1 onion (thinly sliced)
8 cloves garlic (diced)
1 tsp dry mustard
3 cups chicken broth
6 slices hardwood smoked bacon
1 cup grated carrots
3 cup potatoes (peeled and chopped into 1/2 inch cubes)
2 cups half and half
3 cups WSU Cougar Gold Cheddar cheese
salt and pepper to taste (I used 1/2 tsp pepper and salt)
Melt and brown butter in soup pot, add sliced onion, mustard and garlic and saute. Cook bacon crisp, and chop into small pieces. Add chicken broth, carrots, potatoes to soup pot. Bring to boil and simmer for 30 minutes.
Add bacon, Cougar Gold and half and half. Make sure you wait the 30 minutes till you add the cheese and half and half. The cheese will burn on the bottom of the pot if it cooks to long. Simmer until cheese is melted (couple of minutes). Ready to serve! If you have never had Cougar Gold cheese you are in for a treat, it is a bit salty, so be careful adding additional salt to this dish. It is an excellent cheese to cook with and you can pick up a tin of Cougar Gold cooking cheese for about half the price of a regular tin. Ask about it at Ferdinands.
When I make this again, I will sub out a cup or so of chicken broth for a nice beer. Let you all know how it turns out...
1/2 stick butter
1 onion (thinly sliced)
8 cloves garlic (diced)
1 tsp dry mustard
3 cups chicken broth
6 slices hardwood smoked bacon
1 cup grated carrots
3 cup potatoes (peeled and chopped into 1/2 inch cubes)
2 cups half and half
3 cups WSU Cougar Gold Cheddar cheese
salt and pepper to taste (I used 1/2 tsp pepper and salt)
Melt and brown butter in soup pot, add sliced onion, mustard and garlic and saute. Cook bacon crisp, and chop into small pieces. Add chicken broth, carrots, potatoes to soup pot. Bring to boil and simmer for 30 minutes.
Add bacon, Cougar Gold and half and half. Make sure you wait the 30 minutes till you add the cheese and half and half. The cheese will burn on the bottom of the pot if it cooks to long. Simmer until cheese is melted (couple of minutes). Ready to serve! If you have never had Cougar Gold cheese you are in for a treat, it is a bit salty, so be careful adding additional salt to this dish. It is an excellent cheese to cook with and you can pick up a tin of Cougar Gold cooking cheese for about half the price of a regular tin. Ask about it at Ferdinands.
When I make this again, I will sub out a cup or so of chicken broth for a nice beer. Let you all know how it turns out...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)