Maps and Mileage and Thinking Over the Past Year... MORE TO COME

I have a friend in Idaho who is planning to move to the Portland, Oregon area in the not-too-distant future... I went back in my blog to find the pic of my stuffed storage to share with her and commiserate the woes of moving.

Looking through a few posts, I thought I might compile my journey to date here, think back over the past year, and get ready to welcome in 2015!


May 2013 - I was finally on my way in my Great Adventure...

I started at Mom's Weekend at OSU, then did the Oregon Coast for 6 weeks.  Back to Lakeview and then up through Joseph, OR and on to my cousin's in Post Falls, ID.  Then I got the call about my mom.  Stayed in Arizona through the month of August 2013 and returned to Lakeview in September.

After helping some friends with moving and house-sitting, I was back on my way to Albany, OR (near Corvallis) to start a position as a nanny.  It would be good to be close to my son again.

I got a job with a beet seed processing plant, left the nanny position and the motor home I was living in, and lived in my van until the Tower job ended at the end of March.

I had to go to Lakeview for legal reasons, and my cousin said, "Come to Idaho"... so I did.  But I took the long way around.

3,000 miles since I left Monica 's in Lakeview!! 8 states later I am in Montana in the rain. I still have about 400+ miles to go. I guess I could have taken a more direct route, but just look at all I would have missed!! My son thanked me this morning for letting him live vicariously through me... you're welcomeGabe!! It's been a blast!  xo

My Christmas Weekend... MORE TO COME

The plan:  Eat, sleep, and watch TV.

Off work at 6:30am Tuesday morning, Christmas is Thursday, and I have to be back to work on Friday at 6:00pm.  Son at dad's, so I am camping at my son's.

Breakfast Tuesday morning...

Sleeping, and an episode of The Mentalist

Dinner late Tuesday, or was it early Wednesday morning?...  Chicken Alfredo with Shrimp

More sleeping and the movie Divergent and a chick flick.

Nap, then a Christmas Eve service at the Presbyterian church...

Somehow I always seem to find myself at a Presbyterian or Methodist church for a Christmas Eve service.  They are similar in the fact that they have readings, and Christmas songs, and they light the candles on the Advent Wreath.  This year I realized that in Luke 1:41 it says, "When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit."

Wow, that was 33 years before the disciples met in the Upper Room.  That sort of blows me away.  I need to ask my Pastor about that.

Then next morning, Christmas, I planned on having cinnamon rolls, but somehow had egg salad on the brain.  My mom used to keep a couple of hard boiled eggs in the refrigerator and made egg salad every so often, but it is something I never did because I could not hard boil and egg decently.  Well, at 57, I think I finally do!

How to Make a Hard Boiled Egg

In a pot the right size for the number of eggs you want to cook, one layer only, cover with about an inch of water.  Bring to a boil on medium heat.  As soon as it begins to have a bit of a rolling boil to it, remove pot from heat and let sit for 15 minutes.  Then rinse the eggs with really cold water until the eggs are cool to the touch - this will make the shells easier to remove.  I suggest shelling them and using right away, or you can place them in the refrigerator to get colder.  If you put them in the fridge with the shells on, they may be more difficult to remove later on.

I mashed the eggs with some minced onion and mayo, seasoned with lemon pepper, and spread on toasted sourdough bread.  Very delicious.  (Fun plate too, you think?)

Christmas presents from G., A & Family in Sweden, and best bud, C.J. ...

Fun stuff!  Socks and wasabi peas, chocolate, tea, a Swedish Name Day calendar, a throw blanket and jeans, a pretty necklace :)  I feel loved <3

I even enjoyed a crackling fire while listening to Christmas music!

Later on, probably after more sleeping and more TV,  I made and enjoyed the Orange rolls...

And way later, I had a t-bone steak for Christmas dinner with grilled onion and garlic toast!

I wish I had all the stuff I had in my little green house to "set" the photography up right.  I did what I could with what I could find in the boys' place,  I took pictures of everything before I ate it.  I hope I am

More Cooking... and my Massaman Curry recipe...

I am getting my fill of time in the kitchen while I vacation at my son's house over the holiday break while all of the roommates are away.

I made Crock Pot Honey Mustard Pork Loins on Friday... (sorry, no picture)

2 pork tenderloins, about 1 pound each
salt and pepper
1 small clove of garlic, minced
4 Tablespoons Dijon Mustard
2 Tablespoons honey
2 Tablespoons brown sugar
1 Tablespoon cider vinegar

1 Tablespoon cornstarch, flour or arrowroot starch with 1 Tablespoon cold water to thicken saucee to a gravy at the very end.

Wash and trim the pork and pat dry; sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper.  Place pork in the slow cooker.  Combine all other ingredients and pour over pork.  Cover and cook on LOW for 7 to 9 hours, or on HIGH for 3 1/2 to 4 1/2 hours.

Set pork aside and pour juices in small saucepan, bring to boil over medium heat.  Add thickener mixed in the water, stir well, bring back to a simmer and continue to stir until desired thickness.

This turned out well, although I will double the recipe of the sauce the next time I make it.  I only used thin pork loins that weighed less than a pound, so there would definitely not be enough liquid to make much of a gravy.

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Then I made a salted caramel nut candy, and I was not pleased with it at all.  Although sorta edible, it was scary to make because the sugar turned into crystallized balls before melting into a caramel where it actually got burned a little.  Again, even if this worked, there was not enough of it to cover all of the nuts, and I actually had less of them than called for.

I will try making my friend's peanut brittle recipe that is made in the micro wave and she claims is really easy to make.

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Next I gave the Chicken Curry another try, and both my son and I think it turned out just about perfect.  Yellow Curry recipes are like meatloaf... everyone has their own version.  Now I have one...

My Chicken Shrimp Massaman Curry

2 T. olive oil

3 T. yellow curry sauce

1 t. yellow curry powder

1 T. minced fresh ginger

Combine into a large saucepan/frying pan, cook and stir for about 2 minutes.

Add:  1 chicken breast cut into cubed, bite sized pieces

Half of a medium onion cut into small chunks,

Cook on medium to medium-high heat until chicken pieces turn white on the outsides.  About 3 minutes.

Stir in: 3 T. brown sugar

3 T. fish sauce

2 T. peanut butter

2  to 3 potatoes, cubed to less than ½ inch size.

1-  13.5 can of coconut milk, can shaken well

Bring to a boil, then reduce to medium-low, cover and simmer for about 10 minutes.

Add in a PINCH of red pepper flakes,

And optional ingredients:

Short slices of green pepper for color

1/8 c. raisins

1/8 c. peanuts

Cook for additional 10 minutes until potatoes are almost soft.

Add 1/3 lb. cooked shrimp with tails pulled off

3 T. lime juice

Cook additional 5 minutes.

If sauce appears too thick, add water to desired consistency. 

:)

Big Cooking Weekend and Saffron Buns...

So my date with my son's kitchen went really well.  I think I would like to see it again :)

My plan to make Honey Mustard Pork Loins in the crock pot, got a little deterred by the fact that my son did not get the beef stew he made from the package I got him, out of the crock pot.  AND also by the fact that his roommate decided to thaw out 2 huge salmon fillets.

So the red potatoes and broccoli I got to go with the pork loins, went with the salmon and the Friday dinner was delicious!  The boys cooked the salmon on the bbq, one was marinated in a teriyaki sauce topped with fresh pineapple (from our Christmas dinner centerpiece), one topped with mayonnaise, onion and s&p, and another piece topped with lemon, fresh chunks of garlic and lemon pepper.  They all three were delicious but the lighting was not so good when I took this pic after we had taken big bites out.  This is really a horrible representation of the  wonderfully delicious, wild, Oregon coast caught salmon...

  

On Saturday morning, it was Santa Lucia Day!  And I got around to making the sweet saffron buns that a very traditional in Sweden in celebration of this day.  I got several recipes, but most were in European measurements.  I found one from Better Homes and Gardens, December 1963.  I will post it at the bottom.

I am not very good with yeastie-beasties, and I tend to mix them in too hot of water or too cold of a bowl, as they never seem to rise like I think they should.  I believe baking, like fishing, is a God given talent... I didn't get much of either of those talents.  They didn't rise much in the bowl the first time around, and after I made the buns I set them out to rise a second time.  They didn't do much until I managed to get them sitting in the sunshine.  They sure were cute though...

Finally, they baked up nice and golden.  And were of a dense flaky texture, the same as you might find in a scone.  They were very yummy.

I worked hard at setting up the just the right look for the picture.  I got a wonderful square plate, material and red ribbon.  The light coming in the windows from the dining room were just as I had hoped.

Although I took about a dozen pics, this is one is my very favorites...

* * *

I already see all sorts of things I would do a little differently with the photo, so I am looking forward to the free online food photography class I found.  I think it will begin in January some time.

:)

Santa Lucia Day is Almost Here...

So, I am checking the internet to find out when exactly Santa Lucia Day is, and I find some recipes for Swedish Lussekatter, Lucia's Cats, sweet saffron buns.  What fun!

Then I came across this gal's blog...   www.callmecupcake.se  or http://call-me-cupcake.blogspot.com/

Are these photographs not TOTALLY AWESOME and breathtaking?  I love the rough boards, the imperfect linens, the vintage implements and what appears to be window lighting.

Looking far back to 2010, I can see where her style was similar, yet not as refined.  More studio lighting in the old days.  I am definitely encouraged to work on my food photography!

From January 2010...

Here is her Lussekatter from 2009...

And from 2011...

July 2009, her very first post...  I like the reflection effect...

That's all.  Just drooling over maracrons (not to be confused with coconut macaroons) and enjoying the photography. 

Might be fun to look for a nice platter and cloth to photograph my Lucia Cats on Friday!  Hmmm...

:)

The Loss of Someone You Loved...

First off, I'd like to apologize ahead of time for anything that may sound sarcastic or unsympathetic.  Sorry if you get rubbed the wrong way, but this is MY blog, and I feel like putting a rant out into the world.

*  *  *  *

One of the pet peeves in my life are people on Facebook who constantly, and I mean at least once a week or more, post sayings and pictures about their lost loved ones.  They often don't share anything personal, they just share a picture with a saying like this:

But they do it, ALL THE TIME.  I understand people process grief differently, but after "7 years" or "13 years"... enough is enough.  Geez,

We get it... someone you loved has died.  You miss them.  You remember only the best things about them.  You have forgotten their human-ness...  like when they were grumpy or unapologetic, or they burped or farted... and they have somehow sprouted angelic wings becoming the most wonderful, loving and perfect human being to ever walk on the face of the planet.

Get real.  If they were that wonderful, how blessed you were to have had them in your life for the amount of time you did!  Some people didn't get to meet them at all.  Stop dwelling on what you no longer have, but cherish, hold close to your own heart (quietly, privately) what you did have.

I feel pity on those people who cannot go on living because someone they loved, died.  Is that the kind of life that person would have wanted for you?  If they were truly wonderful, wouldn't they tell you to stop bemoaning their demise, and get out there and make the most of YOUR LIFE while you have it.  Spread some of that love on the people around you who need it in the here and now.

Yes, I have experienced loss.  I lost my daddy when I was 15.  That summer I had even fallen in love with him.  My mom died just last year.  They are gone.  I don't get to see them, touch them or talk with them anymore.  I loved each of them tremendously.  I was blessed to have my dad in my life for 15 years, and my mom for 55 years.  But they are no longer here in this world.  I need to share the love I have with my living children, and with my living friends, and maybe with some living "unlovable" types.

My Hope is Jesus, and the everlasting life He has promised to those who know Him.  I think I will see one of my parents in Heaven...  the other, I am not so sure of.  Since the Bible tells us there will be no tears in Heaven, and it would make me sad to know one of my parents didn't make it to Heaven, I may get there and not remember them at all.

The Bible also tells us there is no bridge between the living and the dead.  Don't you think it would just tear your special loved one up to see you cry and cry and be sad that they were now gone.  Would you hurt your loved one in that manner?  Remember, there are no tears in Heaven, so your loved one who is there is not a witness to your sadness.  Right now they have other things to experience, but what a reunion you will have when you are together again.

If they are not a witness to your sadness, they are also not a witness to your joys or perplexities of life.  They are not "looking down on you"...  that is Jesus' job to walk with you each step of the way and gently guide your path as you trust in Him alone.

Do not be deceived by the enemy into this mournful way of living.  Rejoice in the life God has given you.  Let the dead, bury the dead.  

Take time to grieve, it is an important journey.  But then, get on with LIVING and loving the living!

:)

Holiday Extravaganza Super Condensed Survived! and We Had Fun Too!... MORE TO COME

We learned one thing over our Holiday weekend... You can't eat all of the good food you want to, back-to-back.  We definitely need to have day in between holiday meals!  But otherwise, it went smoothly and we had fun together and got to Skype quite a while with my son in Sweden :)

HAPPY THANKGIVING !!

The Radio City Rockettes were so cute this year!  

I definitely love the candy stripe, and they had a little bow at the top back... so cute!  

One thing though... the outfit were gold, and their shoes were silver.  

The little bows on the front were silver, so I guess it matched...

If you don't have a tablecloth, just let these two at it!

Using the pack of paper napkins, look at how beautiful!

L's family is in North Dakota and Arizona, so she joined us,

and we were so happy to have her with us :)

It was great to have help in the kitchen!

Turkey breast, mashed potatoes and gravy, green bean casserole,

garlic cheese biscuits and black olives.

I tried to scale it back a bit, but there was still so much food!

Great leftovers though :)

Son #1 spent quite a bit of time with us over Skype from Sweden.

You know, if you have a short conversation, you do a lot of chit-chat,

but if you talk for a while, a lot deeper subjects present themselves.

We covered a lot of topics.

Miss that... and miss him bunches :)

Felt like we three were all back together though... it was great! 

After a rousing game of Chinese Checkers, which I am pretty sure I was winning,

until it accidentally got nudged and all the marbles went rolling...  

and some Seahawks vs San Francisco football,

it was time for...

CHRISTMAS EVE !!

Had my son told me a month ago he wanted orange and black decorations 

for our little Christmas tree, it would have

been so easy with all the Halloween decorations in the stores!

Oh, you need an explanation of the colors?

Orange and Black

Oregon State Beavers